Srinagar- The power development department has managed to reduce Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses by 8.5 percent in the last three years, as per the exclusive data accessed by Kashmir Observer.
The concerted efforts of Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) have visibly proved effective as the state-run power corporation witnessed one of the lowest losses in the past several years.
The company is working to further bring down the distribution losses in the coming months through a multi-pronged strategy that, as per officials, may transform the valley’s power system and help in becoming one of the best state-owned power corporations in the country.
As per the data, a copy of which lies with Kashmir Observer, the accumulated AT&C loss—calculated at 33 Kilovolt(KV) level—for 2019-20 financial year stood at 74.08 per cent. However, in the financial year 2021-22, the AT&C loss saw a significant decrease and settled at 65.58 percent. The KPDCL officials have cited checks on electricity theft on a large scale as the main reason for the sharp decline in AT&C losses.
Aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses are a combination of energy loss primarily consisting of technical loss, theft and inefficiency in billing and commercial loss which is majorly made up of default in payment and inefficiency in collection.
Besides this, KPDCL has also managed to bring down the DT Damage rate in the last three years. As per the data, the DT damage rate in the financial year 2019-20 was 34.68 percent which witnessed a cumulative decline in the financial year 2021-22, reducing the DT damage rate to 33.94 percent. The exclusive data sheds light on the effectiveness of the newly introduced engineering techniques, technical upgradation and power enhancement projects taken up by KPDCL since 2019.
While, until 2019, the officials at the Power Development Department(PDD) were accustomed to supply electricity with long curtailment hours, both in Summer and Winter, due to scores of reasons, one of the primary reported reason being the lower than capacity generation by the local hydel plants, the latest financial year shows a positive revamp in the power supply hours.
According to the data, the total hours of electricity supplied in the financial year 2019-20 was 19-20 hours in urban regions and 21-22 hours in rural areas during the summer season. The data quickly notes that during the same financial year, the total supply hours were only 12-14 hours in urban areas and 14-15 hours in rural areas during winters.
However, in the financial year 2021-22, the total supply hours during summer season increased to 20-21 hours in urban areas and 22-24 hours in rural areas. Similarly, as per data, in winters, the supply hours increased upto 14-16 hours in urban regions and 18-20 in rural areas.
While several officials say that the “absurd power policy” during the previous governments forced a shortage in power supply, KPDCL’s Chief Engineer, Javed Yusuf Dar says that a liberal funding from the Government of India and Union Territory Government has helped the department to decrease losses and yield positive results.
“In last three years, some of our major initiatives which have helped to bring down losses and enhance power supply include reconfigured networks, installation of new transformers in the length where loads are higher, and replacement of old lines with high efficiency conducts,” Dar told Kashmir Observer.
The official also added that the central Government’s Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) has improved the power scenario in 35 towns of the valley. When asked what steps yielded the positive results, the Chief Engineer Distribution said that Liberal Funding from the local Government and schemes like Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) and DDUGKY scheme for rural areas has provided cushion to KPDCL to ensure a profitable supply.
Meanwhile, the data accessed by Kashmir Observer also reveals that the number of receiving stations (33/11 KV) in the financial year 2019-20 was 245 that helped to drive 3352.3 MVA of electricity besides 33,808 11/0.42 KV Distribution Transformers which supplied 4325.07 MVA. However, as per the data, in the financial year 2021-22, the number of 33/11KV receiving stations increased to 291 which directly increased the supply to 4095.43 MVA. The number of 11/0.42 KV Distribution Transformers also took a plunge and settled at 38,737 transformers supplying 4877.08 MVA of electricity.
Notably, the continued plunge is all the more exhilarating because it occurred after several years of unsuccessful attempts to enhance Kashmir’s power sector. Perhaps, that’s why, Javed Yusuf Dar characterizes the change in the valley’s power supply as “historic.” There is no doubt that local and Central Government schemes were a contributor to the increase in power supply, says the Chief Engineer, but the biggest factor was conductor augmentation.
“The newly added grid stations have changed Kashmir’s power capability. We’ve increased our transmission that has directly increased our supply. Today, besides main stations, we’ve Alasteng grid station which easily accumulates 320 MW of electricity, Delina 220 KV station supplies 320 MVA, which is an increase from its earlier 160 MVA capacity,” says Chief Engineer(Distribution) Javed Yusuf Dar, adding that an addition of 155 MVA to Mir Bazaar grid station has also ensured a smooth supply.
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