Punjab plans Rs 3,225-cr power systems upgrade

Chandigarh: The state government wants to reduce power losses to 15%.

The Punjab government has approved two projects of Rs 3,225 crore for the modernisation and upgrade of the existing power transmission and distribution (T&D) system in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Mohali and Patiala.

A decision to this effect was taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal while presiding over a high-level meeting of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) here late last evening.

Badal said the state government had approved Rs 1,990 crore for transmission project and Rs 1,235 crore for distribution project. Both the projects would be completed in two-and-a-half years resulting in reduction of loses to 15 per cent, he added.

He said that about Rs 800 crore of seed money for these projects would be raised by the state government. He added that much needed upgrading of the entire power network system, both in urban as well as in rural sectors, had become mandatory in view of the 23.91 per cent of total power loss due to the snags in the prevalent T&D system.

It was informed in the meeting that the state was losing Rs 1,000 crore annually on this count which was much higher than the national figure of approximately 15 per cent.

Badal said that at present 4 per cent were the transmission losses and about 20 per cent were distribution losses. Out of the 20 per cent distribution loses, half were due to technical snags and remaining due to theft and pilferage.

To control the theft of electricity and reduce T&D loses, 3.5 million electric meters would be replaced by electro-mechanical meters at a cost of Rs 175 crore with in two years, Badal said.