LAHORE: The government is all set to introduce the Asset Performance Management System (APMS), also known as the Advanced Power Management System, to control power theft and load management across the country in a phased manner.

Minister for Energy (Power Division) Awais Leghari, while speaking at a ceremony in Dera Ghazi Khan on Monday, revealed the government`s plan to introduce modern technology to combat power theft and curtail line losses. According to him, the APMS will identify specific transformers in high-theft areas, enabling targeted disconnectionsso that thousandsof paying consumers on an entire feeder are not penalised for the actions of electricity thieves.

The minister reiterated that loadshedding will continue on feeders reporting 30 percent or higher losses, emphasising that no leniency will be shown toward electricity thieves or chronic defaulters.

According to power experts, the APMS will enable more targeted identification of high-loss consumers, improve energy accounting, enhance operational visibility, and support equitable load management through data-driven decision-making.

As the Power Planning and Monitoring Company (PPMC), the technical arm of the Ministry of Energy (Power Division), is playing a central role insupporting the planning, design, and effective implementation of this sector-wide reform, the APMS will serve as a key enabler in achieving these objectives through transformer-level monitoring, analytics, digital oversight, and enforcement mechanisms across Discos.

The APMS works alongside Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Automated Meter Reading (AMR) rollouts, enabling twoway communication and remote cutoff capabilities.

`The APMS pilot project is all set to be launched in Lahore and Kasur soon, as the necessary work is underway by the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco). Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate this pilot project soon,` confirmed an officialsource in Lesco while talking to Dawn.

Talking about the background and launch of the APMS, he said the Discos have been implementing, for the last few years, the Power Division`s policy under which loadshedding is observed,keeping in view the loss category of 11kV feeders.

According to him, loadshedding (both scheduled and forced) is being observed at loss-making feeders categorised as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Two hours of loadshedding are observed in areas fallingwithin the service jurisdiction of category-1 feeders, followed by four, six, eight, and 10 hoursoncategory2,3,4,and5 feeders, respectively.

`The problem is that if we observe loadshedding in the areas falling within the service jurisdiction of such lossmaking feeders, all consumers, including those paying their bills regularly, also bear the brunt of those stealing electricity. So this system will soon be in place, gradually, to protect the rights of law-abiding consumers,` he explained.

He said that under the new arrangement, the APMS would be installed on transformers of various capacities currently placed on poles.

After the APMS installations, the existing conventional electricity meters would be replaced by AMI meters (smart meters).

After replacement, the APMS would be synced with the smart meters and start monitoring the real-time consumption of electricity users.

`Suppose there are 200 consumers receiving power from one transformer in any area. The APMS at each transformer will record the total number of units received from the power distribution system and the actual number of units used by the consumers.

If the units received from the system are 100,000 and the number used by the consumers is less than that, it would mean that the remaining units have been stolen through unfair means. In this way, it willbe easy for the Discos to detect power-stealing consumers,` he explained.

`At present, it is difficult to detect power thieves in a vast area (2,000 to 3,000 consumers or even more) covered by a feeder. With the APMS, the area would be narrowed from the feeder to the transformer (150 to 200 consumers),` he said, adding that this would help Lesco stop power theft and reduce line losses more effectively. According to another Lesco officer, the APMS would be installed in a 2/4-foot iron box at transformers. `The APMS would automatically report the theft, line losses, etc. to the officials concerned, enabling them to respond quickly to fix the issue,` he maintained. Similarly, he said, if someone touched the AMI meter with the intention to tamper with it and steal electricity, the meter itself would report to the system monitored by the officials.