Metering, regularizing connections bring power losses at lowest level

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 19:  Metering of consumers and regularizing of illegal connections besides other  measures have brought down  Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses as well as Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses in Jammu and Kashmir  at their lowest level since the measurements are available.
According to official data, T&D as well as AT&C losses in the State during the last financial year were 56.98 percent and 64.03 percent, respectively, registering a considerable decline for the first time.
In comparison to the data of previous years, there was a decline of more than 4 percent and 8 percent in T&D and AT&C losses, respectively. Earlier, these losses were touching 63 percent and about 72 percent.
Pertinent to mention here that losses in power sector are measured in terms of AT&C losses and T&D losses.
For  reducing the T&D and AT&C losses, implementation of RAPDRP scheme, metering of consumers, regularization of connections and inspections have played key role,
Nearly eight lakh out of 15.88 lakh consumer installation have been metered by the ending of December 2013. During the last financial year,158861 number of consumers were regularized while 68929 more connections were regularized by the ending of December 2013.
By way of regularization of illegal connections, 506.38 MW load was added during the year 2012-13 while 187.55 MW load was further added during first three quarters of the last financial year.
To check the power pilferage,  73389 inspections were conducted during the year 2012-13 and during the first three quarters of the current financial year, 47445 inspections were made.
To modernize the distribution system and to reduce the T&D losses in the State, 30 towns have been taken up under R&APDRP scheme at a cost of Rs 1900 crore.
The scheme involves establishing base line data, IT intervention in distribution and replacing conventional bare conductor with aerial bunched cables apart from installation of HVDS transformers.
Further, for improvement of distribution system at 11 KV and below in rural area, HT/LT improvement scheme has been launched in the current financial year. Under the scheme, Rs one crore  has been allotted to each district for replacing damaged/sub-standard electric poles with ST/PCC poles and damaged/un-authorized conductor with ACSR/AAAC conductor. The villages with the worst distribution system are being taken up on priority.
Even as per capita power consumption has gone up from 742 units in 2007-08 to 927 units in 2012-13, which implies an increase of nearly 25 percent, the energy deficit has declined from 37.71 percent in 2007-08 to estimated 29 percent in current year.
The peak deficit has also reduced from 33.17 percent in 2007-08 to about 24 percent in current year while transformer damage rate has declined from 41 percent in 2011-12 to estimated 25 percent this year, informed the Government.