KARACHI, July 22: The Karachi Electric Supply Company has signed a Grant Agreement with United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) under which the USTDA has agreed to finance a feasibility study on the implementation of Smart Grid System in Karachi aimed at cutting down electricity losses, says a Press Release issued here.
The signing ceremony for a USTDA Grant Agreement was signed in Islamabad. Dr. Naveed Ahmed, Head of Corporate Strategy at KESC and the American Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Peterson signed the agreement. The objectives of the feasibility study are to determine whether a Smart Grid system will help reduce KESC losses to the degree needed to justify major capital investment in the Smart Grid System.
The Release explained that a smart grid delivers electricity to consumers using two-way digital technology with an information and net metering system and includes an intelligent monitoring system that keeps track of all electricity flowing into the system. The smart grid system, which is an advanced upgrade of previous century’s simple electricity dispatch system, also incorporates the use of superconductive transmission lines for less power loss.
The Study will define parameters including number of meters, technical capability, geographic boundaries, cost, and interfaces of a pilot Smart Grid project. It will also work out its financial performance, support financing, and produce specifications and international tender documents for such a pilot project. The study will also determine the parameters affecting technical losses of the KESC distribution system; establish adequate understanding and characterization of the issues involved in non-technical losses, the Release stated.
The project would study the KESC distribution system in order to characterize and quantify the various types of losses, geographic and demographic constraints, and social acceptance issues. It will also design a pilot project covering specified business locations and a defined geographic area, primarily residential, of Karachi or its suburbs. The project is expected to complete May 31, 2011, the Press Release added.
