Brief
Delhi cuts electricity loss from 50% to 5% over 25 years
The capital’s systematic upgrades and coordinated reforms slashed losses, a stark contrast to many nations still losing 10‑20% of generated power.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Delhi’s power grid has reduced electricity losses from roughly 50% to 5% over the past 25 years, according to a Spectrum article published on Oct. 1, 2026.
The article explains that the city’s success required a “systemic approach across many sectors,” including updating grid equipment, revising regulations, securing investments and aligning multiple government arms. Mini Shaji Thomas, an electrical engineer at Jamia Millia Islamia, is cited as the source of the inside view.
By contrast, the World Bank reports that more than half of the countries it tracks lost at least 10% of generated electricity in 2023, with 24 nations seeing losses above 20% and two losing over half.
Other examples of loss reduction include Georgia, which fell from over 16% in 2002 to about 8% in 2023, and Singapore, which dropped from 6.6% to 0.2% in the same period.
Key facts
- Delhi reduced electricity losses from about 50% to 5% over 25 years. (spectrum.ieee.org)
- More than half of the countries tracked by the World Bank lost at least 10% of generated electricity in 2023. (spectrum.ieee.org)
- Georgia cut losses from over 16% in 2002 to about 8% in 2023. (spectrum.ieee.org)
- Singapore’s losses fell from 6.6% to 0.2% between 2002 and 2023. (spectrum.ieee.org)
Sources
- [1] spectrum.ieee.org — originally reported as “Thieves Are Stealing Electricity With Abandon, but Delhi Found a Fix”
