Summer sees a sharp rise in energy theft, which may lead to unplanned outages

Incidents of power theft not only result in loss of revenue but also cause undue overloading on the distribution network leading to unplanned outages. In a season when the demand for power is expected to be at its peak, the two discoms of BSES have launched a drive against power thefts.

As part of the drive, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) conducted raids and unearthed power theft to the tune of over 3,800 kW. According to a BSES spokesperson, over 1,000 cases have been booked in the first few days of the campaign.

“It is seen that during the summer there is a sharp increase in energy theft. This leads to severe overloading of the distribution system (transformers / feeders), resulting in trippings. It is also a potential safety hazard. This dangerous overloading of the distribution system can also damage the distribution equipment,” said the spokesperson.

The discoms have planned over 500 raids over the next three months targeting about 150 areas across South, West-East and Central Delhi.

Some of the areas where the raids have been conducted include Tilak Nagar, Palam, Nangloi, Jaffarpur and Bindapur in West Delhi; Munirka, Tigri, Mehrauli, Harkesh Nagar, Govindpuri, Jamia Nagar and Sangam Vihar in South Delhi; Kalyanpuri, New Ashok Nagar, Gazipur Village, Trilokpuri, Raghubar Pura, Gandhi Nagar, Daryaganj,Chooriwalan Chandni Chowk, New Qasabpura Paharganj and Karawal Nagar in East and Central Delhi.

“The intensity and effectiveness of the campaign can be gauged from the fact that in the first few days of the drive alone, over 3,800 kW (BRPL 2,341 kW, BYPL 1,460 kW) or nearly 4 MW of power theft load has already been unearthed and over 1,000 (BRPL 630, BYPL 400) cases booked. And these are the early days of the drive,” added the spokesperson.

“Simultaneous to these raids, BSES has also been sprucing up its service lines and undertaking associated work in these targeted areas. It is also facilitating new connections,” added the spokesperson.