Tata Power-DDL Partners with Anyline to Deploy AI-based OCR Technology for Meter Reading

With an aim to ensure 100 per cent accuracy in meter reading & billing, Tata Group’s power distribution arm Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (Tata Power-DDL) has entered into a partnership with Anyline, a global leader in mobile data capture and artificial intelligence (AI), to reduce non-technical losses through the introduction of a new forensic meter reading solution for field workers.
 
“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,” said Lukas Kinigadner, CEO and co-founder of Anyline. 
 
This industry-first innovation marks the first use of optical character recognition (OCR) for meter reading by Tata Power-DDL. Following development and testing, the solution has been rolled out to field workers across North Delhi to gather meter readings, the company said in a statement.
 
By scanning utility meters with their mobile device cameras, field workers can instantly capture meter readings, which are then verified by the power distribution company to detect whether the data and images submitted are genuine and accurate.
 
Through 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 Ltd, 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 is expected to help in overcoming 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.