Impact of Non-Technical Losses on The Electricity Grid in Smart Grids: The Case of Dicle Electric Ditribution Company

Non-technical losses (NTL) in electricity distribution networks are not only a economic and commercial issue but also a critical engineering problem that shortens the life of network equipment, degrades power quality, and threatens system reliability. In cases where individual subscriber consumption data is inaccessible or privacy constraints exist, detecting illegal usage poses a significant challenge. The main objective of this study is to empirically prove that macro-level electrical anomalies carry the characteristics of non-technical losses by using the Automated Meter Reading System (AMR) secondary data belonging to a specific distribution transformer located in the responsibility area of Dicle Electricity Distribution Corporation. Within the scope of the study; load profiles, power factor collapses, net reactive power asymmetry, inter-phase current-voltage unbalances, and voltage sags were analyzed in depth. As a result of the analyses, it was determined that uncompensated and single-phase loaded illegal usages reduce the power factor of the transformer to dangerous levels, create severe phase asymmetry causing overloads on the neutral line, and push voltage profiles out of standards. The findings demonstrate that without direct household-based data, non-technical losses can be detected with high accuracy by processing macro anomalies solely in transformer output parameters using statistical analysis methods.