Pakistan prepares pilot system against electricity theft — Dawn
Pakistan is preparing a pilot launch of the Asset Performance Management System (APMS) in Lahore and Kasur. It is intended to help energy workers more accurately track electricity losses, identify possible cases of illegal consumption and apply targeted outages rather than restrict supply for all consumers on a single feeder.
Pakistan’s Energy Minister Awais Leghari announced plans to introduce the technology. According to him, the system will identify specific transformers in areas with high losses. The government believes this will make it possible to avoid cutting off electricity to thousands of conscientious payers because of the actions of violators.
Monitoring through transformers
As Dawn reports, APMS will be installed on transformers, while conventional meters will be replaced with AMI smart meters. The system will be synchronized with them to monitor electricity consumption in real time.
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APMS will compare the volume of electricity supplied to a transformer with the total volume recorded by consumers. If there is a discrepancy, the system will provide responsible employees of distribution companies with data on possible theft and network losses so they can respond more quickly. Smart meters must also send a signal if an attempt is made to interfere with their operation.
Targeted electricity supply restrictions
Currently, electricity supply restrictions are applied depending on the loss category on 11 kV feeders. According to the publication, outages on feeders in five categories last from two to ten hours. The minister said outages will remain on feeders where losses reach 30% or more.
The new system is intended to narrow the problem-search area: instead of a feeder that may cover from 2,000 to 3,000 or more consumers, analysis will be conducted at the transformer level, which usually serves 150–200 consumers. Lahore Electric Supply Company is carrying out work to launch the pilot, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to inaugurate the pilot project, according to the publication’s source.
