WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: Budgam has recorded the highest aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses among Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited’s divisions at 60.53 per cent during the financial year 2025–26, according to the utility’s annual energy audit report.
The report has identified significant variations in power losses across KPDCL’s operational divisions, with several areas recording losses exceeding 50 per cent. It recommends focused interventions in high-loss divisions rather than a uniform approach across the entire distribution network.
SPL-Tangmarg recorded AT&C losses of 56.49 per cent, followed by Kupwara at 53.91 per cent, Ganderbal at 53.84 per cent and Handwara at 52.96 per cent. Kulgam recorded losses of 49.32 per cent, while Shopian and Anantnag reported 46.05 per cent and 45.78 per cent, respectively. Division Sumbal recorded losses of 41.41––– per cent, while Sopore registered 42.62 per cent.
The audit’s division-wise analysis also highlights substantial transmission and distribution losses in several areas. SPL-Tangmarg recorded T&D losses of 47.73 per cent, followed by Ganderbal at 45.35 per cent and Budgam at 42.96 per cent. Handwara reported T&D losses of 39.24 per cent, while Shopian and Kupwara each recorded 39.05 per cent. At the corporation level, T&D losses declined from 38.47 per cent in 2024–25 to 34.86 per cent in 2025–26. However, the overall AT&C loss figure increased from 33.65 per cent to 43.97 per cent, primarily due to a sharp fall in collection efficiency.
The auditor has recommended strengthening feeder-wise and distribution-transformer-wise energy accounting, improving metering coverage and identifying areas with high gaps between input and billed energy.
Measures suggested in the report include installing meters on all distribution transformers, segregating or bifurcating lengthy and overloaded 11 kV feeders, replacing bare overhead conductors with aerial-bunched cables, and establishing special enforcement teams to check electricity theft.
The report also recommends improving the high-tension and low-tension network ratio through additional substations and strengthening the monitoring of energy supplied and billed. The findings suggest that loss-reduction measures may need to be prioritised according to the specific problems in each division, with high-loss areas receiving closer monitoring and targeted technical and commercial interventions.
