PSPCL awarded for highest reduction in T & D losses

Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) has been awarded for achieving the highest reduction in transmission & distribution (T&D) losses, among the various power distribution utilities across India, by the Council of Power Utilities at its 5th India Power Awards Ceremony held in New Delhi, says KD Chaudhri, chairman-cum-managing director, PSPCL.

The power utility reduced T&D losses from 20.12 per cent in 2009-10 to 17.6 per cent in 2011-12. CMD said, PSPCL took various measures to reduce the losses, such as shifting of meters of 20 lakh consumers out of their premises into pillar boxes, converting supply of 1.9 lakh agriculture pumpsets consumers from low voltage distribution system to high voltage distribution system by providing dedicated small capacity transformers, providing 1781 mega volt ampere resistance of shunt capacitors on all 11 kilo volt (Kv) feeders, replacing 7,800 km of undersize and worn out conductors in urban areas and deloading 2,365 overloaded 11 Kv feeders and 53,000 distribution transformers resulting into reduction of T&D losses from 20.12 per cent in 2009-10 to 17.6 per cent in 2011-12.

Reduction of 2.52 per cent losses in just two years being significant, the jury consisting of eminent persons from power utilities all over India, selected PSPCL for the coveted prize.

Chaudhri further said PSPCL has now set a target of reducing T&D losses to 15 per cent by 2015-16. To achieve this, infrastructure of 47 major towns of Punjab, having population above 30,000 as per census 2001 is being upgraded at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore.