Prof. Bourdillon Odianonsen Omijeh, a distinguished scholar at the University of Port Harcourt, has unveiled an innovative solution to a critical challenge in the power sector: energy theft. During his inaugural lecture, Prof. Omijeh passionately highlighted the severe economic consequences of energy theft and emphasized the urgent need for technological interventions to combat it.
This commitment led to his development of the Intelligent Power Theft Detection System (IPTDS) — a cutting-edge system designed to tackle widespread energy tampering and meter bypassing, which have long plagued power utility companies and resulted in significant revenue losses.
The IPTDS comprises an embedded hardware system, meticulously designed to engineering specifications and then transformed into an expert system. At the heart of this setup is the Intelligent Statistical Meter (ISM), strategically installed at transformer points or mounted on electric high poles.
The ISM communicates seamlessly with individual consumer meters using RF (Radio Frequency) and GSM technologies, enabling it to collect and continuously monitor real-time energy consumption data from all connected meters within a specific area. These readings are aggregated to establish a reference consumption value.
When total consumption surpasses this reference, it signals the likely presence of an unmetered or illegal load, indicating potential power theft. In such cases, the system instantly triggers an SMS alert to the utility company, prompting swift investigation and necessary action.
The detection algorithm underlying the IPTDS was rigorously developed, modeled, and simulated using MATLAB/SIMULINK, with performance results described as highly satisfactory (Omijeh et al., 2012).
This innovative model has been recommended to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) as an effective tool to reduce power theft and curb associated revenue losses.
