Bescom’s promise: Reliable power supply in Bengaluru outer areas

The city’s outer areas can finally expect reliable power supply as Bescom plans to implement the Distribution Automation System (DAS) there soon.

Bescom sources said the power utility agency was in the final stages of awarding tenders and the work would begin in the next two months.

“Without DAS, our linemen have to physically inspect an entire stretch of the network to identify where there is a breakdown and then fix it. DAS enables us to remotely monitor the system and identify the faulty segment or location,” a senior Bescom official explained.

Read | Bescom brings down electricity interruptions by nearly 50%

DAS comprises a communication node that helps monitor power and voltage fluctuations along with an auto reclosure node that helps monitor the power supply from the central control room.

Investigation and fault recognition, which would take nearly an hour before, will come down to 5-15 minutes once the system is in place. The system will help us identify the particular segment where the problem has occurred.

Usually, one segment consists of only 50 houses and hence, power supply to other houses can be restored immediately, the officials said.

While welcoming Bescom’s decision, residents of Mahadevapura and surrounding peripheral areas opined that Bescom could improve communication on
failures.

“Every time there is a failure, we are not sure when the power will be restored. While the project will benefit us, in the meantime, we hope that Bescom at least communicates the turnaround time and reduces the number
of outages,” said Sushmitha B, a resident of Mahadevapura.

Although Bescom began implementing DAS in Bengaluru’s core areas in 2007-08, it was completed only in 2018-19. But the 110 villages in the city’s periphery were added to the BBMP limits only in 2008 and hence the project was not extended to those areas back then.

The proposal to extend it to the outer areas was approved in this year’s budget and is said to cost Rs 380 crore. The project is expected to be completed in three years.

What is DAS and how does it help?

DAS, or the Distribution Automation System, helps identify and pin down the exact location where the system has been exposed or turned faulty.

1) It reduces the downtime for restoration of power supply.

2) Enables remote monitoring, supervisory control, and operation of the 11kV network.

3) Better network management.

4) Improves efficiency in the distribution network operation which results in lower costs.