Federal government has decided to introduce a new mechanism allowing electricity supply to be disconnected at the transformer level, rather than shutting down entire feeders, in a bid to curb power theft and improve load management across the country.
Speaking to media at Parliament House, Federal Minister for Energy Awais Leghari said the new system would enable authorities to switch off only the specific transformer where electricity theft is detected, eliminating the need to disconnect an entire feeder and the thousands of consumers connected to it.
The minister said the on-off switching system would be installed on 190,000 transformers nationwide. He described the mechanism as a new concept already in use in several countries, adding that a regulatory framework for its implementation would be finalised by April or May next year.
Leghari also addressed changes to the net metering system, saying they had prompted many consumers to install batteries. He said the move prevented the financial burden of 300,000 to 400,000 net-metering users from being shifted onto the remaining 35 million electricity consumers.
On the energy supply situation, the minister said closure of the Strait of Hormuz had prevented the Petroleum Division from securing LNG cargoes, adding that the government was using domestic gas reserves judiciously in response.
