The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) has started installing modern automatic meter-reading (AMR) meters to replace old electricity meters across its service areas.
According to PESCO, the installation process is underway on the instructions of its Chief Executive, Akhtar Hameed Khan.
The new meters will automatically record electricity consumption, reducing the need for staff to visit homes and businesses to take readings.
The company previously announced plans to install 65,000 Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters under its Electricity Distribution Efficiency Improvement Project (EDEIP).
According to revised project documents, Rs1.82 billion has been allocated to install AMI meters with capacities ranging from 5 to 20 kilowatts.
This allocation also includes foreign currency costs of approximately $6.5 million.
Automatic meter reading can improve the accuracy of electricity consumption records and reduce problems caused by manual readings.
Apart from installing smart meters, PESCO plans to install aerial bundled cables on 60 electricity feeders, covering approximately 1,298 kilometres.
The revised cost of this work is Rs3.415 billion. This includes Rs683.043 million in local expenses and Rs2.732 billion in foreign costs.
Another Rs2.67 billion has been allocated for technical assistance.
This funding will cover meter-testing equipment, transformer workshops, protective equipment, information technology and vehicles.
The project also includes Rs126 million for staff training and Rs560 million for implementation support.
The revised EDEIP budget stands at Rs30.256 billion, equivalent to approximately $108.056 million.
Of this amount, Rs8.988 billion covers local costs, while Rs21.268 billion covers foreign expenses.
However, PESCO has not yet announced a confirmed completion date for replacing all existing electricity meters.
PESCO also announces load shedding schedule
On the other hand, the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) previously announced a six-month schedule for electricity load shedding to carry out maintenance and development work on its electricity network.
According to an official notification, the schedule will remain in place from October 16, 2026, to March 31, 2027.
PESCO has directed its departments to combine maintenance work wherever possible. This will help reduce the number of power cuts and limit the time consumers remain without electricity.
