Lahore Electric Supply Company has decided to launch a large scale smart meter installation project aimed at controlling billions of rupees in financial losses caused by electricity theft and line losses across its network. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority has set a target for the company to install more than 100,000 advanced metering infrastructure smart meters, with priority given to feeders showing high rates of line losses and power theft.
The project is expected to cost approximately Rs1.5 billion and will cover the installation of both single phase and three phase smart meters across affected areas. Officials have issued directives requiring the company to complete the regulator mandated targets within the current year, reflecting mounting pressure on the distribution company to address persistent financial losses tied to outdated metering infrastructure and theft prone feeders.
Under the plan, 94,800 single phase smart meters will be installed in areas identified as having high line losses, while 5,400 three phase smart meters will be deployed in regions specifically affected by electricity theft. The distinction in meter types reflects the different consumer categories involved, with single phase meters typically serving residential connections and three phase meters serving larger commercial and industrial users where theft related losses tend to be more concentrated.
According to officials, the initiative will help ensure more effective monitoring of power theft, reduce financial losses across the network, and bring greater transparency to the electricity distribution system. Smart meters equipped with advanced metering infrastructure automatically transmit consumption data directly to the utility’s control room, removing the dependence on manual meter readings and reducing opportunities for tampering or fraudulent billing practices that have long affected traditional analogue meters.
The latest target builds on a broader shift toward smart metering that Lahore Electric Supply Company has been pursuing in phases over the past several years, with the company previously outlining plans to transition its entire service area, covering millions of electricity consumers, to advanced metering infrastructure by 2029. The company has already replaced tens of thousands of connections with smart meters at industrial sites and tube wells, while continuing to expand the rollout to domestic three phase and, more recently, single phase connections. As financial losses linked to electricity theft and inefficient metering remain a persistent challenge for Pakistan’s power distribution companies, the regulator’s latest push signals continued pressure on Lahore Electric Supply Company to accelerate its digital metering rollout and close the gap between billed and actual electricity consumption across its network.
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