INP-WealthPk
Smart Meters to Help Curb Electricity Theft
April 01, 2022
By Ayesha Saba ISLAMABAD, April 01 (INP-WealthPK): Smart metering technology can help Pakistan’s power distribution companies curb power theft and ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to consumers. The main objective of installing smart meters is to ensure effective energy management and to protect the interests of not only the energy provider but also the consumer. Tariq Mehmood, Chief Information Officer at the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), told WealthPK that, “NTDC plans to facilitate the digitalisation of Pakistan’s power sector to curb electricity theft. It is going to experiment with an innovative new metering system that will assist the network and market operators in efficiently managing the national power grid.” “Smart meter is capable of doing two-way communication between the meter and the central system, which means a utility company can remotely control the flow of electricity running through the meter. Once a smart meter is installed, a consumer won’t be able to tamper with the units used, thus allowing the distribution company to get more accurate invoices.” “This technology is used to provide improved accuracy of meter readings, detect electricity theft, and ensure faster response to power outages. The technology also brings financial gains to the distribution companies by reducing equipment and maintenance costs and enabling faster restoration of services in case of outages,” explained the NTDC official. He further said, “the USAID is supporting the Pakistani government’s efforts to deliver financially sustainable energy services to people. Last year, the USAID handed over a smart metering system to NTDC to help it improve its ability to forecast power requirements of the country. The project consists of three components: provision of smart meters, their installation and development of a web-based portal to monitor them.” In 2020, the worldwide smart metering market was valued at $21.79 billion, and is expected to reach $54.34 billion by 2030, growing at a pace of 10% per year. This expansion in smart metering technology is largely driven by its manifold benefits, and the countries’ desire to speedily adopt it. The Asian Development Bank, one of Pakistan's most active development funders, has identified smart metering as the major game-changer while transforming the functioning of the electricity and water distribution companies. The bank has approved a $1.2-billion loan for the purpose, and has already released $460 million to Pakistan in the first phase. According to official documents, the loan is meant to install 2.2 million smart meters in the Lahore and Islamabad electric supply companies. This initiative will aid in digitisation of Pakistan's power sector and will assist the government in realising its ambition of establishing a wholesale energy market.
