High T&D losses: Power dept incurs JERC’s wrath

The Chandigarh electricity department has faced the ire of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for its failure to bring down the transmission and distribution (T&D) losses.

The department at present is struggling to cut down its transmission losses, which stands at 15.50%. Chandigarh is ranked second among union territories in terms of transmission and distribution losses. The commission initiated a suo-motu proceeding after the department failed to furnish a proposal about reduction in transmission and distribution losses for ensuing year and next three years as required under section 15 of the JERC Regulation, 2009.

As per an affidavit submitted before the commission during the hearing, the present transmission and distribution losses of the department stand at 15.50%, which it aims to bring down to 15% in the current years. The department has set a target of reduction of the losses to 14.50% in 2015-16 and to 14% by 2016-17.

In an order passed on May 5, the department has been directed to conduct regular energy audit to substantiate its estimation of transmission and distribution losses and furnish six monthly energy audit reports to the commission. The audit report of the first six months of the years is to be submitted by November.

The department has also been asked to undertake load flow study from an independent agency to ascertain losses in the existing network along with recommendations for system strengthening and loss reduction. The commission has set November 30, 2014, as the deadline for the completion of the study.

The report has to be submitted to the commission latest by December 26, 2014. The commission has warned the department of action if it failed to comply with the directions. When contacted, UT superintending engineer MP Singh said that the department was making sincere efforts to bring down the transmission and distribution losses. "We aim to bring down the losses and we have planned certain measures," said MP Singh.

The department has failed to implement the restructured accelerated power development and reforms programme (R-APDRP) even four years after initiating the process, which aims at improving the financial viability of the department, reduction in transmission and distribution losses. There are nearly 2 lakh consumers in different categories in the UT, nearly 1.75 lakh of them in the domestic bracket. Over the years, due to non-declaration of actual load, the department is facing losses and problem of overloading of transformers.

Source HT