Adani Electricity steps up action against power thieves, significantly cuts losses

Adani Electricity on Wednesday said that it registered a significant number of FIRs against perpetrators of power theft in the April-September period this year – 622 compared to 439 for the corresponding period last year -- thus significantly reducing losses.

The Adani Group company said that this action resulted in a 0.7 per cent reduction in Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, bringing them down to 4.56 per cent in the last six months compared to 5.26 per cent in the previous six months.

To achieve this reduction, Adani Electricity has intensified its vigilant efforts. The company conducted 18,255 mass raids in high-loss areas, a significant increase from the 11,408 raids conducted during the same period last year.

According to Adani Electricity, this resulted in a total of 5,475 theft cases being booked compared to 3,757 for the corresponding period.

The vigilance team also recovered a substantial number of illegal materials – 32.9 tons of illegal wires – and assessed the value of stolen electricity at Rs. 24.65 crore (based on 13.06 million units).

"Power theft unfairly burdens honest paying consumers. Adani Electricity is committed to eliminating this menace. By combating such unlawful activities, we safeguard the interests of our customers. We will continue to intensify our efforts in specific areas to further reduce AT&C losses," said a company spokesperson.

This achievement positions Adani Electricity among discoms with the lowest AT&C losses nationwide, considering its extensive network and diverse consumer base.

For example, on September 3, Adani Electricity's vigilance team uncovered a case involving significant electricity theft worth Rs 48 lakh against tenant Umesh Harsukhlal Shah, Shashank Umesh Shah (running a plastic bag manufacturing unit) and owner Mirza Gauasuddin MA Baig in Asalfa, Ghatkopar.

On May 27, the vigilance team uncovered a power theft worth Rs 6,41,000 at Ganesh Nagar, Charkop, Kandivali, against customer Ankitbhai Vaviya, who owns an electroplating business. The accused were using an electricity supply with a tampered meter, and the Y and B phases were found to be under-recording, informed the company.

Adani Electricity said it collaborates with police authorities to conduct regular raids, apprehend offenders, and confiscate equipment used for power theft.

During the period from April 2024 to September 2024, a significant amount (13.06 million units) of unauthorised electricity was detected and addressed.

“Power theft has a detrimental effect on infrastructure, particularly in high-demand areas like slum clusters where infrastructure upgrades are challenging. The additional strain from power theft overloads existing infrastructure, leading to increased maintenance costs due to more frequent cable and transformer failures,” according to the company.