USAID SAREP Launches Technical Assistance Program in Madhya Pradesh
Distribution utilities are the sole bread earner for entire value chain of power sector. The revenue recovered by distribution utilities is the revenue passed to the upstream utilities – transmission and generation. So, anything impacting distribution creates a ripple effect on the entire power sector.
To make the power distribution sector viable it is important to focus on solutions and business practices that improve operational efficiencies and the financial health of the utilities. One way to achieve it is by introducing digitization and advanced ICT including AI and ML based solutions that supports generating better business insights and enable the DISCOMs take informed decisions on theft detection, network management, consumer analytics and for other predictive analysis.
With the aim to herald new-age digital solutions in Madhya Pradesh’s power distribution sector, the state’s Principal Secretary (Energy), Shri Sanjay Dubey, launched the USAID South Asia Regional Energy Partnership’s (SAREP) Technical Assistance program on Tuesday, August 24, 2022 in Bhopal – the capital city of MP.
The Managing Directors of three power distribution utilities of the state, managing director of the power management company, their 45 officials from senior management, and executive director of PFC C attended the kick-off workshop, lending the consultations their support.
The workshop also witnessed participation from seven technology providers, who presented Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning (ML) based solutions for smart meter data analytics, loss reduction, asset health management, and enhancing consumer experience for MP’s distribution utilities. This collaborative partnership seeks to offer support for utility modernization and clean energy transition in the state.The technical assistance program is USAID SAREP’s first partnership at the sub-national level and is part of USAID India’s ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Power, Government of India (GoI) and Power Finance Corporation (PFC) to advance implementation of the GoI’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).