The government of India and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) on February 28, 2018. The scheme aims at operational turnaround of the Union territory’s Electricity Department.
An overall net benefit of approximately Rs.8 crore would accrue to Lakshadweep by participating in UDAY, by way of cheaper funds, reduction in AT&C losses, interventions in energy efficiency, etc. during the period of turnaround and will continue in future years.
Through compulsory distribution transformer metering, consumer indexing & GIS mapping of losses, upgrade/change transformers, smart metering of high-end consumers, feeder audit etc., AT&C losses and transmission losses would be brought down, besides eliminating the gap between cost of supply of power and realisation. The reduction in AT&C losses to 10 per cent is likely to bring additional revenue of around Rs.3 crore during the period of turnaround, a government release said.
Demand-side interventions in UDAY such as usage of energy-efficient LED bulbs, agricultural pumps, fans & air-conditioners and efficient industrial equipment through PAT (Perform, Achieve, Trade) would help in reducing peak load, flatten load curve and thus help in reducing energy consumption in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The gain is expected to be around Rs.3 crore.
According to information available, a total of 31 states and Union territories had enrolled in UDAY, as of December 31, 2017. This does not the newly-joined Lakshadweep.
Known for its exotic beaches, Lakshadweep, a group of 36 islands, lies on the south-west coast of India. It has a total geographical area of 32 sqkm housing a population of barely 65,000. (Photo: lakshadweep.nic.in)
