IESCO To Launch AMI System To Prevent Power Theft, Ensure Accurate

Sumaira FH Published May 17, 2017 | 04:05 PM

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2017 ) : Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) with the assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) is going to launch an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system with an estimated cost of Rs.18 billion.

In first phase, the project was being started in Rawalpindi Circle which would not only help control power theft but also ensure real time meter reading, official sources told APP Wednesday. They said under the project, over 900,000 electricity meters would be replaced with smart meters in next four years in Rawalpindi.

Initially, they said, the new state of the art AMI System would cover Rawalpindi city and its suburb areas and later it would be expanded to other areas of the company. The dividend of the system would start within two years, they said.

The sources said the AMI system would help automated metering reading and electricity utilization. An Inter House Display (IHD) device would be provided to the consumers so that they could not only directly check real time meter reading and electricity load but also control the load as per their income, they said.

The system would not only eliminate 'Kunda culture' and meter tampering but also help locate power breakdown areas in case of power suspension. The sources said with installation of the system, the consumer could not use additional electricity than the allowed load.

The AMI system would also improve billing circle besides reducing aggregated and commercial losses of the company, they said. They said that the system would also help minimize duration of load-shedding and burning of meters and transformers.

It is pertinent to mention here that AMI will be first project across the world which will be installed at such a large scale and it will be a step forward towards adopting smart technology. The project is a part of the power sector reforms initiated by the government to cope with energy crisis.

The project will be implemented in all big cities and industrial areas in phases to reduce lines and transmission losses.