Tata Power’s distribution arm completes first phase of AMR implementation
March 7, 2005

NDPL, the power distribution arm of Tata Power with the mandate of distributing power to north and north west parts of Delhi, announced that it has successfully completed implementation of the first phase of automatic meter reading (AMR) technology for over 3,000 of its consumers.

North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL), the power distribution arm of Tata Power with the mandate of distributing power to North and North West parts of Delhi, today announced that it has successfully completed implementation of the first phase of automatic meter reading (AMR) technology for over 3,000 of its consumers. This technology intervention by the company now covers all its high value consumers. For the past eight months all large industrial power (LIP) and single point distribution (SPD) consumers of NDPL are being billed using AMR technology. The company plans to cover 10,000 consumers under AMR by the end of FY 2005-06 and extend it to over 50,000 consumers by the end of FY 2006-07.

Commenting on the company achieving this milestone, F A Vandrevala, managing director, Tata Power, said, “AMR is a win-win situation for the power utilities and consumers, as the system provides the utility with accurate data leaving no room for manipulation. At the same time the consumers can access their consumption and billing data, use it for load planning and in reducing their electricity bills. ”

All NDPL consumers being billed using AMR are provided with state-of-the-art intelligent electronic meters which virtually talk to a computer server installed at NDPL’s end, that downloads the data from these meters. These electronic meters furnish more details in comparison to old electromechanical meters. The AMR technology helps the company not only in efficient data collection but also in-depth aggregation and analysis. To facilitate transparency and consumer satisfaction, the downloaded data for all consumers billed through AMR is shared with them through the NDPL website, www.ndplonline.com. This data can be utilized by consumers to plan their load and improve power factor. This unique value-added service is provided to NDPL consumers free of cost.

The main highlight of the AMR technology being used by NDPL is that all types of meters in its installed base can be read through a single, seamless operation. For this purpose, NDPL along with leading meter manufacturers of the country have co-authored an interoperability document ie the universal meter reading document (available on metering-india.com). Through this, NDPL has developed a common platform by which all meters can be read through a common software, irrespective of variations in the meter manufacturing source. The data from these meters is collected on a daily basis and stored in a repository where all the analysis takes place automatically.

The AMR scheme adopted by NDPL consists primarily of two ends, the CT meter at the consumer’s premises and associated devices as well as the computerised system installed at NDPL. The computers are programmed to dial to the CT meters and download the data for the purpose of billing and analysis. NDPL has created a specialised group that monitors the data collected, especially meter tampering information in order to take appropriate corrective action, quickly.