Discouraging cable theft: FESCO to replace costly copper wires with aluminium

This will reduce company’s cost and line losses.

FAISALABAD: Faisalabad Electricity Supply Company (Fesco), jolted by losses caused by theft of cables and transformers, is considering replacing costly copper wires with aluminium wires in power transmission lines aimed at reducing cost and line losses, says Tariq Mehmood Chattha, Chief Executive Officer of the company.

He was speaking at a seminar organised by New Age Cables here on Friday to introduce high-efficiency and cost-effective aluminium wires. The seminar was attended by a large number of electrical engineers, industrialists and distributors of electric wires.

Chattha said the price difference between copper and aluminium wires was visible but the company would have to consider other technical and economic aspects as well. “At some stages, the use of aluminium has already started as we were forced to abandon costly copper wire in open places,” he said.

He pointed out that the price difference resulted in incidents of cable theft as Fesco suffered a loss of Rs30 million per annum only due to theft of copper wires and transformers. Aluminium wires are three times cheaper than copper wires.

“We must consider the use of aluminium wires in prevailing circumstances when we are facing financial crunch,” he stressed.

Chattha underscored the need for producing metallic material in the country to make it easier to join aluminium and copper wires, which would ensure smooth flow of electricity through the joints.

Punjab Assembly member Rana Muhammad Afzal called for overcoming technical problems while replacing copper wires with aluminium.

New Age Cables Managing Director Amir Bakht Azam said his company was not only catering to the needs of the country, but was also exporting aluminium products.

“Cheaper aluminium wires should be promoted to minimise overall development expenditure. Wapda and other power distribution companies are already using aluminium wires but still there is room to replace costly copper wire,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2012.