Summary Says installation of smart meters across the country is inevitable
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said reforms in the power sector are among the top priorities of the government, stressing more work is still needed to improve the power sector and installation of smart meters across the country is inevitable.
A review meeting on the affairs of the Power Division was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif here on Thursday. The PM emphasised the need for strict measures at all levels in the power sector to completely eliminate electricity theft.
The Prime Minister directed that a technical audit of the billing system of electricity distribution companies be conducted and performance indicators be set to assess the performance of the companies.
He directed that goals be set along with a timeline and said that the best performing DISCOS would be honoured.
The PM directed the development of solar energy projects at the village level to effectively address the problem of load shedding in rural areas.
The meeting was briefed on the performance of electricity distribution companies. It was informed in the briefing that the technical and commercial losses of electricity distribution companies are gradually decreasing.
The briefing stated that the electricity distribution companies of Islamabad, Lahore and Gujranwala suffered the least losses in terms of transmission and distribution losses in the last fiscal year.
The meeting was informed that in the financial year 2025-2026, Islamabad Electric Supply Company, Lahore Electric Supply Company, Gujranwala Electric Power Company, Faisalabad Electric Supply Company and Multan Electric Power Company achieved 100 percent recoveries.
The briefing was informed that Disco Support Units have been established in the electricity distribution companies of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Lahore, Multan and Hazara to prevent electricity theft, improve recovery and resolve technical issues.
The meeting was informed that the first phase of installation of Asset Performance Management System at the transformer level will be completed by September 30, 2026. The installation of transformers connected to APMS will help reduce power theft and loadshedding.
The briefing was informed that a plan to install 16.2 million single-phase AMI meters in Multan, Lahore, Peshawar, Hazara and Quetta regions is under consideration.
