India is renowned for its free power supply to farmers, in a hope to ensure nation’s survival. However, this power is often misused, leading to huge losses. To tackle this, the government has planned to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. This will help reduce power thefts, spillage, and misuse, thus promoting better energy accounting and revenue auditing. The Indian Ministry of Power has proposed the installation of prepaid smart meters, similar to the model used in the United Kingdom, to help reduce power distribution losses in utilities. Additionally, the government is also looking at installing system meters to feeder, transformer, and consumer premises to generate healthy revenue for discoms. Out of 1,491,850 billion units generation of power in FY 2021-2022, only 51% has resulted in positive revenue.
In order to address this issue, the Indian government is looking to leverage AI and ML technologies to help curb power thefts and reduce loss incurred through misuse. A ministerial meeting is scheduled in May of this year, and a final decision will be taken thereafter. In conclusion, AI and ML technologies are providing a promising approach to solve the issue of unaccounted and misused power in India, thus helping to generate a healthy revenue for discoms.