ISLAMABAD:The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) on Thursday signed a contract with KT- Kaifa for design, supply, installation, commissioning of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) project in Rawalpindi Circle.
The long awaited project is part of the second power distribution enhancement investment program under ADB financing and is expected to significantly contribute towards improved information collection for asset management, while providing tools to reduce routine operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of distribution companies by eliminating the need for manual meter reading and related field staffing and operations, says a statement issued here by IESCO.
“The AMI project will enhance customer support, as better measurements, more accurate billing and a degree of control of consumption are expected to improve customers payment of electricity bills.
“The project is also expected to enhance the ability of distribution companies to reduce non-technical losses that result from consumers by passing installed metering devices,” it adds.
The system is expected to provide precise information regarding power supply and consumption down to the individual consumers, enabling distribution companies to investigate causes of non-technical power losses.
Improved micro and macro level information in relation to the power grid is expected to provide the DISCOs with new tools and technologies to mitigate these losses, the statement reads.
The objective of introduction AMI was to eliminate load shedding, reduce distribution losses and enhance the overall operational and financial efficiency of IESCO which would ultimately lead to realization of smart grid, IESCO said.
Chairman BoD of IESCO Salah-ud-din Rafai, CEO of IESCO Dr Muhammad Amjad Khan, GM (Dev) as well as AMI Project Head Mian Dilawar Shah, GM (Technical) Umer Farooq Shah and senior management of IESCO and President of KT-Kaifa Soo Jung Shin were briefed regarding implementation and development of the AMI project.
All stakeholders of the AMI project are committed for completion of project with in stipulate time line.