CESC Ltd has lost a potential revenue of about Rs 332 crore in 1996-97 for its failure to check the unabated rise in transmission and distribution (T&D) losses which touched a record 19.98 per cent.
Despite various measures taken in the last three years, the company has failed to even reduce its T&D loss.
The 19.98 per cent loss recorded last year was slightly higher than the 19.92 per cent recorded in 1995-96.
The companys chairman RP Goenka admits that the 19.98 per cent total T&D loss includes 6-8 per cent pilferage. Despite attempts to check the pilferage, efforts have not yielded satisfactory results, added Goenka.
The remaining 12-14 per cent T&D loss has been caused by technical reasons and metering errors.
To reduce meter tampering and metering errors, most of the high value consumers have been provided with either tamper-resistant microprocessor-based static meters or imported high quality electro-mechanical meters.
The net result of all these steps has been an increase in T&D loss. However, the rate of increase has slowed down even as losses have been showing a steady upward trend.
The figures were 16.84 per cent in 1992-93, 18.77 per cent in 1993-94 and 19.20 per cent in 1994-95.
CESC sold 4794 million units of energy last year. But, it has lost through T&D losses, 5188 mu in the last five years.
The company chairmans claim that T&D losses, for the first time in many years, registered a modest decline appears to be wrong.
Losses rose both in absolute terms (from 1162 mu in 1995-96 to 1197 mu in 1996-97) and in percentage in relation to the actual sale from 19.92 per cent in 1995-96 to 19.98 per cent in 1996-97).
The companys revenue of Rs 1328.58 crore from sale of electricity in 1996-97 reflected an earning of Rs 2.77 for each unit of electricity. In 1995-96, the earning per unit of energy was Rs 2.45 while the total earning from power sale stood at Rs 1145.31 crore.
Despite a commendable plant load factor of 74 per cent at CESCs own power stations, the total energy generation actually suffered a decline by 4.44 per cent - from 3833 mu generated in 1995-96 to 3663 mu in 1996-97.
However, what is more alarming is that CESC required more coal and oil to generate lesser quantum of electrical energy.
To generate 3833 mu in 1995-96, the company consumed 25,11,996 tonne of coal and 18,774 kilolitres of oil. However, it consumed 25,77,530 tonne of coal and 19,954 kl of oil to generate 3663 mu of energy last year - a drop by 170 mu.
The company also claimed an increasing transportation and handling loss of coal. Against a loss of 0.75 per cent (18,766 tonnes) in 1995-96, the loss rose to 0.85 per cent (21,869 tonnes) in 1996-97.
Despite the decline in its own generation, CESC delivered 159 mu of more energy into the system and sold 124 mu more after the T&D losses. The additional energy came from higher imports from both the West Bengal State Electricity Board (WBSEB) and the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). The boards exports to CESC rose to 2317 mu during the year - a record - against 1997 mu in 1995-96. DVC increased its exports to CESC to 363 mu against 358 mu the previous year.
The total imports by CESC thus increased from 2355 mu in 1995-96 to 2680 mu last year - a rise by 325 mu.
