ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is moving from an old manual electricity system to a fully digital, automated system to reduce losses, improve billing, and modernize the power sector, and now the government is moving to cut Smart-Meter costs.
Power Division reportedly inked transaction advisory services agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which will support the large-scale rollout of smart meters across the country.
Under this plan, at least 1 crore electricity connections will be upgraded to smart meters. The initiative is expected to attract both local and international investment and represents one of the country’s largest efforts to modernise its energy infrastructure.
Officials said the programme is designed to address key issues in the power sector, including electricity theft, weak billing systems, and low revenue recovery. The use of smart meters will allow real-time monitoring and automated billing, which is expected to improve transparency and strengthen financial management in distribution companies.
A competitive international bidding process slashed smart meter costs by about 40 percent, making project more cost-effective for large-scale implementation. As part of the rollout plan, all new electricity connections will be required to use smart meters, while traditional analog meters will be phased out.
Also, the transition will also include all three-phase consumers, as well as commercial and industrial users. Authorities are working to address problems related to faulty and inaccurate meters that have contributed to billing disputes and financial losses in the past.
The implementation process is expected to accelerate after approval from National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), after which deployment will expand across the country in phases.
