Under digitization and up-gradation programme, Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has replaced over 130,000 old meters so far with state of the art advance metering infrastructure (AMI) meters aimed at ensuring accurate meter reading, billing, controlling power theft and reducing load-shedding. Briefing the media persons here Wednesday, the AMI Project Director Mohsin Gillani currently the company has around 3.8 million consumers in six circles including Rawalpindi City, Rawalpindi Cantt, Islamabad, Chakwal, Jhelum and Attock and some areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. “All the connections (3.8million) will be replaced with AMI meters by 2030,” he said. However, he said that in first phase around 1.2 million connections in Rawalpindi Cantt Circle, Rawalpindi City Circle and Taxila were being replaced with AMI meters. 

The company has already installed over 130,000 meters so far in various areas of Rawalpindi in short spin of time, he added. He said these meters were installed in areas of Gulzar Quaid, Dr Abdul Qadir Road, Gangal and Khana and Westridge, PWD, Media Town, Korang Town etc. The task would be completed by June 2026 for which initially two contractors have been hired to install around 3000-3500 AMI daily in the said circles, he said. He said all functions of AMI meters would start fully working by June 2025. Mohsin said the Asian Development Bank has provided $ 109 million financial assistance to complete the project under second power distribution enhancement investment programme. The contract for the project was signed on September, 3, 2022 while its effectiveness date was January 2023, he added.

He said that main data and back data centres which were part of the project had already been set up at the IESCO’s head office and Gujjar Khan respectively. The Project Director said AMI system would bring about a permanent elimination of power pilferage with systematic control of transmission through round-the-clock monitoring of the electricity meters. This technology would help reduce power sector losses, enhance the quality of billing and recoveries, control power load-shedding and also address the consumers’ complaints of wrong or over-billing, he said. He said the AMI system would also end human interventions in meter reading, enhance customer support, better measurements, more accurate billing, a degree of control of consumption and help improve IESCO’s ability to reduce non-technical losses.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan