With a motive to tackle the illegal power theft in Lucknow, the Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) is now using drones for air surveillance.
Reportedly, control rooms of multiple sub-stations in Lucknow have observed a significant surge in power load, particularly after 11 pm, suggesting the occurrence of power theft in these areas. Among the total 2000 citywide feeders, approximately 200 feeders have registered incidents of power theft.
As part of a pilot project, Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) has successfully apprehended over 200 power thieves by utilizing drone technology to gather photographic evidence.
Rising temperatures in UP are driving up electricity demand
Just like every year, as soon as summer hits cities in India start grappling with power outages because everyone’s cranking up their electricity usage. But this time around, the demand for electricity in Uttar Pradesh has gone off the charts, even beating last year’s highest demand in September.
Reportedly, this Saturday at 10:55 PM, the electricity demand reached its peak, hitting a whopping 26,672 MW. This exceeded the previous record set on September 9, 2022, when the highest peak demand was recorded at 26,589 MW.
Local distribution faults in UP cities have further added to increase in power outages
The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (UPPCL) is currently facing significant challenges in managing the situation, aggravated by local distribution faults, which are only adding to the difficulties experienced by the people.
Considering the significant duration of the remaining summer and monsoon season, there is a strong anticipation that the peak demand in the state will persistently escalate in the forthcoming days.
-with inputs from IANS
