Transmission losses decline
Umesh Dewan/TNS

Patiala, November 30
Punjab Power Corporation has shifted 20 lakh electricity meters out of consumers’ premises and the rest of the 45 lakh meters would soon be shifted out. The Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) KD Chaudhri said that work to shift the meters had been expedited.

He was here at the inauguration of the ‘Energy Conservation Fortnight’ which is being observed jointly by the Punjab Energy Development Authority (PEDA) and Punjab Power Corporation throughout the state. Since over 11 lakh agricultural pumpsets in the state do not have meters, of the 76 lakh power consumers in the state, only 65 lakh have meters.

Chaudhri said that areas, where the meters have been shifted out of the consumers’ premises, have witnessed fewer trippings and the number of cases when transformers have burnt has gone down.

“As many as 53,000 distribution transformers have been deloaded and before the next paddy season, all the distribution transformers will be deloaded to ensure uninterrupted power supply to electricity consumers of the state in summer next year,” he said.

Chaudhri also said that because of the steps taken by the Power Corporation, the Transmission and Distribution losses had come down from 18 per cent to 17.4 per cent and PSPCL was now aiming at bringing it down to 15 per cent in the next couple of years.

He further said that Power Corporation had already been making efforts through advertisements in print and electronic media to make the common man aware about the benefits of energy conservation. “We have distributed 15 lakh CFLs at a subsidised rate in some parts of the state to replace the ordinary incandescent lamps under the Bachat Lamp Yojna scheme and will soon cover the whole of Punjab,” he added.