Though Torrent Power did well to contain T&D losses in its licensed and franchised areas in FY21, the performance could match up with FY20.
In the Surat, Ahmedabad and Gandhinaagar areas in Gujarat, composite T&D losses during FY21 were a mere 5.5 per cent, which is considered as amongst the lowest in the country. Commercial losses have been curtailed significantly by converting most of the distribution lines to the underground mode.
However, when seen on an individual level, T&D losses in the Ahmedabad area in FY21 inched up from 6.03 per cent from their all-time low of 4.98 per cent in FY21. In Surat, such losses were 4.06 per cent in FY21—breaching the 4-per-cent mark for the first time since FY17 (See table).
In the franchisee area of Bhiwandi in Maharashtra, T&D losses dropped to 16.22 per cent in FY21. At the time of taking over the Bhiwandi area in xxx, these losses prevailed at an unruly 58 per cent. The performance in FY21, however, could not match up with FY20 when ATC losses in Bhiwandi had dropped to an unprecedented 11.93 per cent. In FY19, losses ruled at 15.13 per cent.
In the newly-acquired Shil-Mumbra-Kalwa (SMK) franchisee area of Maharashtra, Torrent Power expects to invest Rs.300 crore over the agreement term. This would include Rs.150 crore in the first five years. The SMK area was taken over on March 1, 2020 and the agreement is valid up to February 2040. The area, spread over 65 sqkm, recorded a peak demand of 126 MW, in FY21.
In FY21, ATC losses in the SMK area were as high as 47 per cent. These are targeted to be brought down to 12 per cent over the next 15 years.
Dholera SIR
The latest addition to Torrent’s distribution licencee business is the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) where the company was given the mandate of “additional distribution licencee” in August 2018.
Torrent will be allowed to supply power to new industrial, commercial and residential units that will come up in DSIR, which is spread over an area of 920 sqkm. The distribution licence period will be 25 years. Dholera SIR is a major project in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), to be developed into a global manufacturing hub supported by world class infrastructure.
Based on the current development plans outlined by Dholera Special Investment Region Development Authority, the nodal agency of DSIR, Torrent Power has envisaged to invest Rs.1,200 crore in its DSIR licencee business over the next 10 years, to be able to cater to a demand of 425 MVA.
Nearly 4 million consumers
Torrent Power distributes nearly 14.5 billion kwh to over 3.71 million customers in the cites of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Dahej SEZ and Dholera SIR in Gujarat; Bhiwandi, SMK (Shil, Mumbra and Kalwa) in Maharashtra and Agra in Uttar Pradesh. This covers both the licensee and franchisee business.
(Featured photograph for illustration only)
