Maharashtra discom MSEDCL adopts AI, ML module to detect power theft

Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) said it had cracked down on power thieves across the state by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) ‘Super Intelligence’.

Combining state-wide physical inspections by 190 “flying squads” with AI-driven predictive analysis, MSEDCL said it had exposed 27,964 instances of power theft worth ₹66.28 crore in three months.

Criminal cases have been registered in 289 instances where offenders failed to pay the assessed electricity charges and compounding fees.

MSEDCL said it had adopted dedicated AI and Machine Learning (ML) module to predict electricity theft accurately. Consumers exhibiting suspicious consumption patterns are automatically flagged under a ‘high-risk’ category, providing field teams with precise target locations without requiring prior manual surveys.

Lokesh Chandra,(IAS) Chairman & Managing Director, MSEDCL in a statement said, “Our target is to reduce MSEDCL’s Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses to below 10 percent over the next three years.”