Power sector revenues jump as line losses improve

Development comes after govt launched anti-power theft campaign

ISLAMABAD: The performance of the country's power sector witnessed considerable improvement as indicated by the one-year performance report of the Power Division.

According to the latest data, the power sector revenue jumped over Rs121 billion by improving line losses worth Rs16 billion. The improvement in different areas was seen on the back of an anti-power theft campaign initiated by the current government in October 2018. Under the campaign, the Power Division worked to introduce smart meters and recorded electricity distribution of 23,049MW through improved transmission network.

A sum of Rs1.3 billion was recovered from 5,318 power thieves after registering 36,000 FIRs against them under the anti-power pilferage campaign.

Installed power production capacity rises

The distribution companies were also given a target to recover Rs8 billion from old receivables while freezing the receivable figures as they stood on October 31 last year.

The reduction in line losses has also lessened the burden on the distribution system due to removal of illegal connections. The Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project is being launched in the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) and Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to overcome the problems of line losses and theft.

The ADB has committed to provide $400 million for AMI project, which is now ready for execution. The Aerial Bundled Cable (ABC) is another project to control and pre-empt illegal connections through direct hooking, thereby controlling the menace of "Kundas" and reducing line losses in high loss areas.  The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and Sukkur Electric Supply Company (Sepco) have already started installation of ABC cables.

Meanwhile, the Power Division is also working on the Renewable Energy Policy 2019, which will soon be brought before the cabinet for approval.

The Power Division has been actively engaged with different working groups of friendly countries, especially China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Central Asian Republics, for exploring avenues of investment in the power sector.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2019.

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