ISEP started off 2018 with a major project in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh (UP). The Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation is sponsoring a collaborative effort by ISEP and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) to look at a core set of issues that are crucial to address the long-term viability of the power sector and to ensure that consumers benefit through adequate, reliable and affordable power. The key goal of this project is to conduct evaluations of the key issues in extending electrical power throughout UP and engage on a regular basis with key stakeholders.

As part of this project, ISEP is undertaking a comprehensive survey of rural and urban public opinion about electricity theft. Currently being piloted by ISEP, the goal of this survey will be to understand why so many people prefer illegal connections to legal alternatives. We will be testing whether the UP public considers electricity theft an acceptable or unacceptable practice, and how the state government can reduce electricity theft and encourage legalization of electricity access with specific policy interventions. The results of the study will be shared directly with government officials like the Director of Distribution of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. ISEP and CEEW also plan to host an anti-theft workshop to bring scholars and policy-makers together to discuss the best methods for cutting theft. Finding solutions to this issue will be critical in improving the reliability of power supplies and the sustainability of policies to extend access.