'Only 55 p.c. of power generated is billed'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 7. The Union Ministry of Power has estimated that only about 55 per cent of the electricity generated in the country is actually billed, fetching about Rs 62,000 crores annually. Of the amount not billed, about 20 per cent loss is sustained due to theft and pilferage while the rest is attributed to technical and commercial losses.

Also, Orissa tops the list of transmission and distribution (T&D) since its lost more than 50 per cent of the electricity generated in the State in 1997-98. Other `top performers' in terms of T&D losses include Jammu and Kashmir where the loss is almost equally high at 49.95 per cent in that year, followed by Delhi where the losses have been estimated to be as much as 47.91 per cent.

Surprisingly, Bihar has one of the lowest T&D losses at 16.26 per cent while a reforming State like Andhra Pradesh reports 32.14 per cent T&D losses. Incidentally, Andhra Pradesh's losses have gone up from 19.34 per cent in 1995-96 to 33.19 per cent in 1996- 97 and then dipped slightly to 32.14 per cent in 1997-98.

According to the Ministry, the increases in T&D losses in case of Andhra is because of the reforms process which is underway and because of which the generating units are under pressure to assess losses nearer to the actual.

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have an ``average'' record with the losses being 19.31 per cent in case of the first and 17.29 per cent in case of Tamil Nadu during 1997-98. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are also near-abouts with 18.75 per cent and 19.58 per cent losses, respectively.

In the northern region, Haryana, which has also agreed to undertake power sector reforms, reported T&D losses at 34.04 per cent in 1997-98 while Uttar Pradesh, where too reforms are underway, T&D losses are around 26.18 per cent. In the east, West Bengal reported 19.67 per cent losses while the States of Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram had losses of 31.11, 34.10 and 46.84 per cent, respectively.

According to the Ministry of Power, the action plan drawn up the tackle the problem of T&D losses include 100 per cent metering of all consumers by December 2001, energy audits at all levels, reduction and finally elimination of theft of power within a specified time frame and strengthening and upgradation of sub- transmission and distribution systems. An Accelerated Power Development Programme has also been launched under which funds would be made available to the States for implementing some of these measures aimed at reducing T&D losses.

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