National institute of technology

Raipur

eps paper submission

Name –
ROLL NO -
Branch - ELECTRICAL engineering
SEMESTER -
DATE OF SUBMISSION –

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Electricity transmission and
Distribution losses
In India
Energy is the basic necessity for overall development of a country. Energy consumption
per capita reflects the living standard of a country. But this energy must be utilized
efficiently for getting sustainable energy. Experience in many parts of the world
demonstrates that it is possible to reduce the T&D losses in a reasonably short period of
time and that such investments have a high internal rate of return. Overall T&D losses in
India is approximate 27% whereas in other countries like USA it is only 8%, Japan 7%,
Taiwan 9%, Korea 12.5%. India is the country having highest T&D losses in the world. So,
there is a room for improvement in this area. Energy losses are increasing year by year in
states as well as in India as a whole. Energy losses reduction has been a challenging area
for Indian engineers but he could not found success because of mismanagement and
utilization of old technologies.
This paper projects the area of scope of energy losses reduction. Concept of Technical
and Commercial loss, its possible cause is discussed. Then analyzed the state wise T & D
losses and summaries the systematic treatment utilizing the resent technologies. Energy
conservation and good management in distribution side that results the loss reduction
and hence improvement of Indian economy as well as reduction in consumer tariff that
may bring the prosperity in India and reduce the gap between generation and demand.

Power System can be divided in four main components

1-Generation (Generally 11KV)

2-Transmission (400,220,132kV, 66kV, 33kV)

3-Distribution (11, 6.6kV)

4- Switchgear and control

Generated Power is Transferred to the consumer through Transmission and Distribution Network.
This Transmission and Distribution network comprises overhead lines, cables, transformers,
switchgear and other equipment to facilitate the transportation of electricity to consumers. Most
consumers are supplied at low voltage (LV), usually 400V.

Larger commercial and industrial customers are typically supplied at high voltage (HV), that is,
between 400 V and 11kV, with very large customers supplied at voltages of 11kV or greater. In the
process of supplying electricity to consumers, some power is consumed or dissipated in stepping up
or stepping down the voltage levels, and some is lost along the lines and cables that carry the energy
losses occurring at various stages of power transformation and loading of the transmission system at
400 kV, 220kV,132kV are known as transmission losses, whereas losses occurring at 66,000 volts
(66kV) 33,000 volts (33kV) are known as sub-transmission losses. The losses at the 11kV, 6.6kV and
lower voltage levels are termed distribution losses.
 The transmission and distribution losses associated with the operation of the network are
classified as technical and non-technical losses. Electrical System losses are an inevitable
consequence of the transfer of energy across transmission and distribution (T&D) networks. The
non-technical losses are a component of distribution system losses that are not related to the
physical characteristics and functions of the electrical system. They are associated with unidentified
and uncollected revenue, arising from consumer fraud (meter tampering, illegal connections),
metering errors, shortfalls in billing and revenue collection. The costs of losses on the network are
ultimately borne by the final consumer.

It is important therefore, to ensure that losses are kept to the lowest level possible. The level of
losses is influenced by both technical and operational factors. Reduction of Losses results quantity,
quality and reliability of the Power System and it also improves the Economic Condition of the Utility
or Government money that results the prosperity.

Transmission and distribution losses has two main components:

A. Technical Losses
The technical losses are due to energy dissipated in the conductors and equipment used for
transmission, transformation, sub- transmission and distribution of power. These technical losses
are inherent in a system and can be reduced to an optimum level.

The losses can be further sub grouped depending upon the stage of power transformation &
transmission system as Transmission Losses (400kV/220kV/132kV/66kV), as Sub transmission losses
(33kV /11kV) and Distribution losses (11kV/0.4kv). Technical losses generally vary with the square of
the load current being distributed. As a result, losses will increase as more capacity is used. Losses
are also proportional to the length of the line. The technical losses comprise both variable and fixed
components. The fixed component of technical losses depends largely on the system configuration,
pattern of loading of transmission and distribution lines, magnitude and types of loads,
characteristics of equipment etc. The variable component is due to weak and inadequate sub-
transmission and distribution lines, inadequate sizing of conductors used, lengthy transmission and
distribution lines and inadequate reactive compensation in the system.

B. Non-Technical (Commercial) Losses

The commercial losses are caused by pilferage, defective meters, and errors in meter reading and in
estimating unmetered supply of energy.
The non-technical losses are a component of distribution system losses that are not related to the
physical characteristics and functions of the electrical system. They are associated with unidentified
and uncollected revenue, arising from consumer fraud (meter tampering, illegal connections),
metering errors, shortfalls in billing and revenue collection. In an attempt to properly account for
total system losses, the electric energy used by the transmission and distribution utility is separately
identified (sometimes referred to administrative loss). It includes the electric energy consumed by
electrical loads in the facilities such as substations, offices, warehouses and workshops of the utility
 The officially declared transmission and distribution losses in India have gradually raised from about
15 percent up to the year 1966-67 to about 23 percent in 1998-99 and in 1999-2000 it was about
28%. In 2004-05 it was 34.33 and currently it is approximately 27%. However, as per sample studies
carried out by independent agencies including TERI, these losses have been estimated to be as high
as 50 percent in some states. In a recent study carried out by SBI Capital Markets for DVB, the T&D
losses have been estimated as 58%. This is contrary to claims by DVB that their transmission and
distribution losses are between 40 and 50 percent. With the setting up of State Regulatory
Commissions in the country, accurate estimation of T&D Losses has gained importance as the level
of losses directly affects the sales and power purchase requirements and hence has a bearing on the
determination. The Technical Components is only max of 15%, rest of the losses are Commercial The
losses in any system would, however, depend on the pattern of energy use, intensity of load
demand, load density, and capability and configuration of the transmission and distribution system
that vary for various system elements. This can be compared with T&D losses in the other countries
indicated in the enclosed Annexure. A glimpse of this Annexure indicates that in most developed
countries the T&D losses are less than 10 percent. So, we have to reduce these losses up to 10%
from currently 27%.

The following are the major reasons summarized for high technical losses in our country

1. Inadequate investment on transmission and distribution, particularly in sub-transmission and

distribution.
2. Lack of advanced technology and advanced materials in transformers and conductors.
3. Haphazard growths of sub-transmission and distribution system with the short-term objective
of extension of power supply to new areas.
4. Large scale rural electrification through long 11kV and LT lines.
5. Too many stage of transformations.
6. Improper load management.
7. Inadequate reactive compensation and poor power factor.
8. Poor quality of equipment used in agricultural pumping in rural areas, cooler air-
conditioners and industrial loads in urban areas. Transformer and line losses due to poor
maintenance
9. Unbalanced loading
10. Losses due to overloading and low voltage
11. Harmonics distortion
12. Improper earthing at consumer end
Theft and pilferage account for a substantial part of the high transmission and distribution losses in
India. Theft / pilferage of energy is mainly committed by two categories of consumers i.e. non-
consumers and bonafide consumers. Antisocial elements avail unauthorized/unrecorded supply by
hooking or tapping the bare conductors of L.T. feeder or tampered service wires. Some of the
bonafide consumers wilfully commit the pilferage by way of damaging and / or creating disturbances
to measuring equipment installed at their premises. Some of the modes for illegal abstraction or
consumption of electricity are given below:

1. Making unauthorized extensions of loads, especially those having “H.P.” tariff.

2. Tampering the meter readings by mechanical jerks, placement of powerful magnets or
disturbing the disc rotation with foreign matters.
3. Willful burning of meters.
4. Changing the sequence of terminal wiring.
5. Bypassing the meter.
6. Changing C.T. ratio and reducing the recording.
7. Errors in meter reading and recording.
8. Improper testing and calibration of meters.
9. A third type of loss is electricity allocated gratis. DISCOMS provide free electricity without
charge to certain people and organization known as Gratis.

1. Utilization of Capacity - increasing the cross sectional area of lines and cables for a given load
will lower losses but there will be a trade-off between cost of losses and cost of capital
expenditure.
2. Higher Voltages - moving to higher voltages reduces utilization and therefore losses in the
networks.
3. Shorter and more direct lines - there is scope for reducing losses by reconfiguring the network,
for example by providing more direct lines to where demand is currently situated.
4. Demand management - reducing peaks in demand can reduce losses. An additional demand
of 1 GW in peak times will result in a greater increase in losses than 1 GW in off-peak periods.
5. Balancing 3 phase loads - balancing 3 phase loads periodically throughout a network,
especially overhead line networks, can reduce losses significantly. Fixed losses on a network
can also be influenced in a number of ways, including:
6. Quality of transformer core material - the level of fixed losses in a transformer is largely
dependent on the quantity and quality of the raw material in the core. Therefore, higher
quality materials will lead to lower losses. A new development in the United States is the
amorphous core distribution transformer with very low fixed losses but higher costs than
conventional units
7. Eliminating transformation levels - eliminating 33 kV transformation levels and moving to
66kV voltage levels can reduce losses. Switching off transformers in periods of low demand
can also lead to lower losses.
 8. Smart Grid- Smart grids are transmission network that utilize information and communication
technologies to make the transmission infrastructure more efficient and resilient. It enables
developers and operators to carry out real time monitoring and controlling the systems. This
helps in reducing AT&C losses, peak load management, outage management, power quality
management

There are a range of methods being employed by utilities the world over to mitigate power theft.
Some of these measures are given below.

1. Set up vigilance squads to check and prevent pilferage of energy.

2. Severe penalties may be imposed on those tampering with the meter seals etc.
3. Energy audits should be introduced and personal responsibility should be fixed on the district
officers (executive engineers) for energy received and energy sales in each area.
4. Installation of smart meter and AMR.
5. Providing adequate meter testing facilities. A time bound program should be chalked out for
checking the meters, and replacement of defective meters with tested meters.
Increase the investment in T&D sections

So, from the annexure, we can see that there is lot of scope of reduction T and D losses in India. High
T&D losses occurs mainly in eastern India where losses are 30 to 50%. By use of modern technology,
implement rules strictly for prevent theft and no free electricity should be provided to any person. If
government want to provide some relief to some customers e.g. departmental BPL, and farmers
then government may provide some unit free for these groups of people only. If we could save 1%
electricity there is benefit of crore of rupees and same time, we met out load requirement. Another
most hidden benefit is by reducing the losses we can reduce the pollution and so we can save our
environment.

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