The Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL) which supplies electricity to over 7 million people in North Delhi, announced a partnership with Anyline on Thursday, a global leader in mobile data capture and artificial intelligence. The partnership is aimed at reducing non-technical losses through the introduction of a new forensic meter reading solution for field workers.

This industry-first innovation marks the first use of optical character recognition (OCR) for meter reading by Tata Power-DDL and is the result of collaboration between the companies. Following development and testing, the solution has been rolled out to field workers across North Delhi.

Combining mobile data capture and AI-powered anti-spoofing capabilities, the new scanning solution is integrated into the mobile devices of field workers to gather meter readings. By scanning utility meters with their mobile device cameras, field workers can instantly capture meter readings, which are then verified by Tata Power-DDL to detect whether the data and images submitted are genuine and accurate.

Tata Power-DDL’s operations span an area of 510 sq. km, including over 1.9 million meters, which are recorded monthly by field workers. With the introduction of this new solution, the company has been able to significantly improve the data quality of readings, while also reducing the cycle time of meter billing for customers. These combined benefits aim to improve the speed and efficiency of the process.

Commenting on the partnership, Ganesh Srinivasan, CEO, of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, said, “We are committed to enhancing customer experience through integration and adoption of latest technologies. Our partnership with Anyline is a step in the same direction. The introduction of this solution will help us in delivering value proposition to our customers while ensuring that they are billed accurately for the energy they consume.”

The solution will help overcome human discrepancies leading to faulty readings and accordingly, ensure accuracy in meter reading and billing. It will also help to bring down the non-technical losses of the discom.

Speaking about the association, Anyline, CEO and co-founder Lukas Kinigadner said, “We are delighted to have partnered with Tata Power-DDL, a truly innovative leader in power distribution, to develop this industry-first solution. We look forward to building on this work together in the future, with the aim of further leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to resolve other key challenges in the energy sector.”