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Frequent hikes in tariff rile BESCOM consumers

According to data accessed by DH, BESCOM’s T&D losses have remained close to 11% for two years now
Last Updated 27 September 2022, 05:54 IST

The hike in power tariff for the third time this year has irked the citizens, especially those in the industrial and commercial sector.

Many pointed out that BESCOM needs to adopt better management practices and reduce its transmission and distribution (T&D) losses, instead of passing the burden on to the citizens.

According to data accessed by DH, BESCOM’s T&D losses have remained close to 11 per cent for two years now.

In fact, the losses increased slightly from 11.06 per cent in 2020-21 to 11.23 per cent in 2021-22.

The T&D losses are calculated based on the difference between the input energy at the feeders and the total energy that is billed for.

BESCOM officials, however, attributed the T&D losses to power theft. “The illegal connections which draw up power from the poles and electricity supply lines are not billed for and hence considered as loss,” said Rangaswamy P, BESCOM manager (operations).

Officials said T&D losses were higher in rural areas, owing to the theft as compared to urban areas, under BESCOM’s jurisdiction.

That apart, in a few cases, faulty or manipulated meters also provide an incorrect reading of the energy to be billed for, Rangaswamy added.

“T&D losses up to 5 per cent are acceptable, owing to technical aspects. However, in areas where the losses go beyond that, we direct our officials to check for abnormal readings. Based on the approved energy levels for an establishment, we estimate their requirement and if the meter reading is way below that, we identify it as abnormal reading and correct the meters,” he explained.

BESCOM’s vigilance wing is also keeping a close eye on power thefts and has booked 4,730 cases against the offenders in 2021-22.

Sources in BESCOM said poor quality conductors could have an impact on the amount of T&D losses.

“The losses during transmission are usually due to the use of low-quality conductors. Use of better conductors and replacing old ones could help bring down technical losses,” a senior BESCOM official said.

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(Published 26 September 2022, 16:43 IST)

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