SAP has recently announced that the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) has chosen to deploy its ERP software. The deployment is aimed at integrating, automating and managing resources across its organization.

HPSEBL powers more than 17,000 villages and has a current customer base of 19  lakh and growing, with an existing hydro potential of 20,415 megawatts. Currently, the electricity board’s IT department supports billing, GIS- and GPS-based asset mapping, meter data acquisition system and energy accounting functions.

The board was seeking an IT solution that would integrate its various business functions including financial accounting, human resources, payroll, material management, maintenance management and project management — to provide a single view to top management.

To help achieve this objective, SAP will build and manage a centralized management information system at HPSEBL using its ERP offering. This would include financial and controlling, material management, enterprise asset management, human resources, payroll and employee self services functionalities, integrated with an industry solution for utilities and further complemented by a robust data warehousing engine.

The company claims that the software will provide the state board with rapid information access, minimized costs and better resource utilization, and afford citizens improved services. Customers will be able to get updates through a call center, leverage online payment options and receive quality power supply. The 18-month project that has been awarded to TCS is expected to go live by October 2011.

The deployment will help HPSEBL further its mission to provide uninterrupted, reliable and quality power supply around the clock and throughout the year to all its customers, as well as make the company, “a hydro power state.”