Pakistan to Start Transformer-Based Load Shedding to Target Electricity Theft

Federal Energy Minister Owais Leghari says Pakistan is introducing a technology-based system to disconnect specific transformers in areas affected by electricity theft. The plan aims to protect paying consumers from power cuts across entire feeders, while load shedding will continue on feeders with line losses of 30% or more.

Leghari announced the initiative on October 19 while visiting the expansion project at Dera Ghazi Khan Airport. He said the system would help identify transformers linked to power theft and allow authorities to take targeted action without disrupting thousands of other consumers connected to the same feeder.

The government has referred to the technology as the Electronic Power Monitoring System (EPMS) and the Advanced Power Management System (APMS) in different reports. Officials have not yet published a complete technical breakdown of its rollout.

Leghari said consumers involved in electricity theft or failing to pay their bills would not receive relief. He also said scheduled load shedding had helped shield consumers from heavier electricity bills. According to the minister, gas supply constraints linked to the Iran-US conflict were increasing electricity generation costs.