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Case Study: Power IT

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DQI Bureau
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Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL),
wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka, is responsible for the transmission
and distribution of power in the state. It serves 109 lakh consumers of
different categories spread across the state, covering an area of 1.92 lakh
square kilometres. KPTCL has become a transmission company while four
independent companies-Bangalore Electricity Supply Company, Mangalore
Electricity Supply Company, Hubli Electricity Supply Company and Gulbarga
Electricity Supply Company take care of power distribution. The mission of KPTCL
is to ensure reliable quality power to its customers at competitive prices.

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The company has realized that the best of services can be
ensured only by putting in place a range of best practices in the realm of
transmission and distribution, technical facilities, and customer service among
others; and the role of IT in doing that.

Unique Challenges

KPTCL has planned and invested in a successful program to provide training
in computer and IT fundamentals to all A, B and C employees. The company hopes
to achieve its target of 100% computer literacy by June 2006.
Says BL Meena, managing director, KPTCL, “Almost every aspect of any
company can be found on the net. One of the biggest advantages is the
availability of information. Online interactions have reached a whole new level.
Technological growth has enabled faster and more effective means of
interaction between the company and its clients or customers, which in
turn makes operations smoother for both parties.”

Leading
IT Initiatives

Geographic
Information System: GIS is used for data gathering, production
of complete topographic products and their customized presentation,
analysis and interpretation. KPTCL needs to regularly inspect and collect
accurate special data of their assets such as lines, stations, land and
buildings. Also, this data has to be wrapped in an enterprise system,
which would support planners and managers in all the phases of utilities
management. It is also useful for inspection and assessment of overhead
lines, routine inspection, facility inventory (poles, structures, and
towers), maintenance planning, and forecasting among others.

e-Tendering:
The main purpose behind the introduction of electronic
tendering/procurement was to improve transparency in the tendering
process, and to bring the benefits of Internet connectivity.
The project was also intended to cut down on the public sector's
biggest tender processing costs such as advertising, preparing for
printing and disseminating tender documents, processing bids, both in
terms of money and time.

The obvious benefits of
IT being the possibility of transferring documents through attachments,
provision to download registration and tender forms with buyers'
control, and exercising ability to quote/receive best prices up to the
last moment, eliminating problems generally associated with the
traditional procurement process. The system also offers better competition
with a paperless working environment.

Intranet:
The intranet portal called 'E-prasarana' aims to streamline
information management within the corporation. All documents that are
required by KPTCL officers are available on this portal. Online services
such as inter-unit accounts clearance reconciliation and employee
applications for transfers are available. The e-mail services of KPTCL
have already been scaled up to provide individual accounts to all
officers.
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Karnataka has seen a lot of modernization and technological
advances. The civic agencies have had to go one step ahead to make operations
smoother for both themselves and their customers. KPTCL has some of the best
IT-based initiatives that the power utility agencies have adopted so far.

The Future Roadmap

Top on the agenda of future technologies is an enterprise wide Management
Information System (MIS) to inter-connect all working units, and to identify and
monitor the operational parameters that will help make managerial decisions
effectively. This will usher in complete collaboration across its network and
integrating with information pertaining to the network demand and supply along
with integration with SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) for
continuous monitoring and control.

Another initiative that the company would be undertaking
shortly is a mega project called “Integrated Extended SCADA”. Says Meena,
“Tenders for this project are being prepared, and this would be another first
for the country covering all the power generating stations across Karnataka.”
The IT adoption at KPTCL makes it one of the progressive power utilities company
in the country.

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Shrikanth G

shrikanthg@cybermedia.co.in