By Abdul Ghani

Hazara Electric Supply Company Limited (HAZECO) has sought the Asian Development Bank funding for a proposed Rs1.9 billion project to install Asset Performance Management Systems (APMS) on thousands of distribution transformers across Hazara Division to improve real-time monitoring of 100kVA and 200kVA general duty distribution transformers and reduce technical and commercial losses through better visibility, energy accounting, and fault protection.

According to a working paper available with Wealth Pakistan, the scheme is titled “Supply, Installation, Testing & Commissioning of Asset Performance Management Systems for 100kVA & 200kVA General Duty Distribution Transformers in HAZECO.”

The working paper states that the main objective is to establish real-time access to distribution transformers to improve visibility, enable close monitoring, and prevent transformer failures. The APMS will record energy supplied and help localise losses through energy accounting.

A key feature of the system will be a load-disconnection mechanism on the low-tension side of three-phase 100kVA and 200kVA transformers. This mechanism is designed to protect the transformers against system overload and fault current.

The project scope covers the installation of APMS on distribution transformers in all districts of Hazara Division. The document lists 2,324 transformers of 100kVA and 1,174 transformers of 200kVA, with total installed capacity shown as 467MVA.

However, the working paper carries a minor numerical inconsistency: the table shows the total number of transformers as 3,497, while the breakup of 2,324 and 1,174 adds up to 3,498. This discrepancy will likely need correction during scrutiny by the approving authorities.

HAZECO, headquartered in Abbottabad, has been named the implementing agency. The project’s proposal was presented to the Central Development Working Party on June 11, 2026, for approval, according to the document.

The implementation period has been proposed at three years, covering FY2026-27 to FY2028-29.

The real-time transformer monitoring can help distribution companies identify overloaded transformers, reduce breakdowns, improve outage response, and detect abnormal energy losses. For HAZECO, which serves hilly and dispersed areas of Hazara, such a system could improve operational control if implemented properly.

The real test, however, will be execution. Pakistan’s power distribution companies often approve technology-based loss-reduction projects, but weak data integration, poor maintenance, and lack of field accountability blunt their impact. Unless HAZECO links the APMS data with enforcement, maintenance planning, and feeder-level energy accounting, the project risks becoming another expensive monitoring system with limited practical results.

Credit: INP-WealthPk