Uttarakhand Energy Corporation has been in loss for five out of the last six years. The corporation owes Rs 5000 crore to the state government. The situation is that in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar, the districts with large population, the line loss in the form of power theft is the highest at 16 percent. The corporation will have to take strict steps to deal with these challenges. The cabinet approved the detailed action plan prepared by the expert organization McKenzie India for energy reform in the state along with the energy corporation. The organization has emphasized on reducing line loss by eight percent in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts and purchasing 500 MW solar power. McKenzie India has prepared a detailed transformation plan to improve the financial and operational condition of the energy corporation. The objective of this plan is to reduce distribution and transmission losses, optimize power purchase cost and strengthen the performance of the corporation through capital investment. This plan has four main objectives. First of all, it has been asked to focus on stabilizing and strengthening the financial position of the energy corporation and reducing the outstanding of about Rs 5000 crore. This will enable the corporation to overcome continuous losses.
Promoting the use of green energy sources
The second objective is to reduce line losses in areas like Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar to reduce distribution and transmission losses. Under this, special attention will be given to reducing losses by increasing energy efficiency and upgrading infrastructure. In the third phase, there is an emphasis on making consumers aware, so that consumer satisfaction can be increased and revenue collection efficiency can be improved. The corporation will have to work on promoting the use of green energy sources as the third objective, so that cost-effective and environment-friendly energy solutions can be obtained.
Regulatory Commission rejects proposals worth Rs 1140 crore
Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission has rejected proposals worth about Rs 1140 crore. The reason for this is not achieving the transmission and distribution loss target. Apart from this, in some cases, tariff petitions were also rejected due to discrepancies in the electrical inspector certificates.
These measures have been suggested to reduce line losses in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar
Installation of prepaid and smart tamper-proof meters for industrial and commercial consumers
Arrangement for regular meter calibration and maintenance
Replacement of faulty or old meters in high loss areas
Automated billing system and digital payment
Increase in surprise inspections and vigilance work
Real time analytics and energy audit up to consumer level
