Patna: In a progressive initiative showcasing Bihar's power utility's commitment to embracing futuristic technology for improved efficiency and customer convenience, senior IAS officer and CMD of Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd (BSPHCL), Sanjeev Hans, announced their plans to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other modern applications to combat electricity theft. The company aims to reduce Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses in DISCOMs through automation and transparency, ensuring greater accountability and data analysis of consumer patterns. This move marks a significant step towards a more secure and efficient power distribution system in Bihar. 

The Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT & C) losses of two DISCOMs - North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited and South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited - is about 30 percent. 

Chairman-cum-Managing Director Hans recently held a meeting with officials and members of Energy Accounting Team and Special Task Force on Electricity Theft expressed concern over 30 percent AT & C losses in the first quarter of 2023-24 and stressed that this need to be checked. 

Hans said significant steps are being taken by deploying modern tools to check the power theft and fixing accountability of field engineers. “From August 1, we are launching a Raid and FIR Management System’ portal. Besides bringing transparency in the process, this will also display the raids being conducted by the STF and the amount of fine imposed on consumers indulging in electricity theft,” Hans said. The CMD said through the portal energy the two DISCOMs will go for 100 percent automation of accounting, bringing ease of operation and enabling data analysis of consumption patterns of the consumers. 

“The patterns of energy consumption will help us fix accountability of field engineers. The 30 percent AT & C loss is a cause for concern, and this has to be checked and cut,” he said. 

Further elaborating on leveraging AI, Hans said, “Through AI, we can put a check on electricity theft, consolidate our energy accounting and fix accountability. To strengthen the system, work of accounting of all feeders and transformers is in progress, which will help us identify the consumers who were indulging in electricity theft,” he added. “We have got encouraging results from Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur, where the pilot project of energy accounting is being done,” he said, adding that STF would have to intensify the raids and work further with dedication and commitment. 

Hans also felicitated the energy accounting team and field engineers who had performed well in their domain.
  
MDs of two DISCOMS - South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL) and North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL), Shri Mahendra Kumar, IAS and Dr Aditya Prakash, IAS respectively; officials, and members of Energy Accounting Team and Special Task Force participated in the meeting.