IN A massive crackdown on power theft across Maharashtra, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has launched an aggressive drive leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) ‘Super Intelligence’. Combining state-wide physical inspections by 190 flying squads with AI-driven predictive analysis, MSEDCL exposed 27,964 instances of power theft worth Rs 66.28 crore over the past three months. Criminal cases have already been registered in 289 instances where offenders failed to pay the assessed electricity charges and compounding fees. Moving beyond traditional inspection methods, MSEDCL has adopted a high-tech strategy by developing a dedicated AI and Machine Learning (ML) module to accurately predict electricity theft.

 

This advanced module continuously analyses over 50 technical criteria 24x7, including historical consumption patterns, sudden spikes or drops in demand, and meter tampering anomalies. Lokesh Chandra, ACS to CM and CMD, MSEDCL, said, “Our target is to reduce MSEDCL’s Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses to below 10 percent over the next three years. Prioritising the recovery of outstanding dues, an aggressive campaign against power theft is underway. The AI module has greatly intensified our precision and enforcement capabilities against electricity theft across the State.”