Electric meters to be replaced

Power theft and losses to be controlled.

LAHORE: Static meters having global system for mobile (GSM) communication module will replace old meters in the first phase of a programme aimed at reducing theft and losses, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Existing meters of each distribution company will be replaced with static meters having GSM communication module while specifications of static meters will be provided within two weeks.

This was decided in a meeting of a committee comprising representatives from Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) and Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) held at the Wapda House recently.

Pepco Managing Director Rasul Khan Mahsud while talking to The Express Tribune said he was ambitious about the smart metering project as it could save billions of rupees, adding, “right now the power sector really needs to curtail its expenses.”

He said he had earlier constituted a committee to submit a report on the feasibility study, after which members of the committee decided to start implementing the smart metering project.

He said the committee pla nned to first introduce the meters in industries as their consumption was higher.

According to official sources, electricity theft can be reduced from the existing 10 per cent to 3-4 per cent by putting into service smart meters, which could save more than Rs30 billion per annum.

The idea of smart metering was given by Lesco CEO Saleem Akhtar in a seminar, where he spoke about the utility of automatic meter reading.

Members of the conference were informed about the success of smart metering pilot project which had been experimented in Shadbagh, Shadman and Delhi Gate areas. Theft and losses fell sharply from 11 per cent to 2.9 per cent in Shadbagh and Shadman and from 13.2 per cent to 4.4 per cent in Delhi Gate, after installation of new meters on 146 industrial, 48 domestic and 156 commercial connections.

Akhtar said the project cost Rs6.2 million. “A unique feature of automatic meter reading is that it has a firefly installed in it. This facilitates two-way communication. If anyone tinkers with the meter, bypasses it or the data is lost because of the damage to the meter, the same is not only communicated in real time, but is also saved in an adjacent meter installed within the area,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2011.