First smartgrid project on pilot basis

An official release said the Ministry proposed to set up such smart grid projects in eight cities across India and that Puducherry is the first to implement it on an experimental basis. The project involves an investment of Rs 77 crore,of which Rs 25 crore would be borne by the Ministry and the balance by the state government concerned. In Puducherry,the entire share of Rs 52 crore would be borne by PGCIL, a collaborator in the implementation of the project here.

The main highlights of the project are installation of `advance metering infrastructure with a Central Data Control unit, which would help consumers and the department. The consumer could at any point of time know the exact billing amount and appropriately manage power usage, the release said.

The Electricity Department would be able to monitor online energy usage patterns and trace malpractices and energy theft, besides enabling it connect or disconnect power supply online. The system can also assist the department bill power tariff online, collect dues and help reduce distribution and line transmission losses from 22.6 percent to 8.86 per cent.