Network Builder: GIS Based Load Flow Software for DISCO New Connection Compliance

Most independent consultants working on electrification design books start with FDRANA, our non GIS load flow tool, because it is fast, familiar, and does not require expensive licensing. But FDRANA analysis alone is not enough once a project reaches the stage of applying for a new connection with a DISCO. At that point, the DISCO's Planning Directorate needs to see the impact of your proposed transformer on their actual, real world feeder, modelled in the same GIS based format they use internally, typically a Synergi Electric .MDB file. Network Builder exists to close that exact gap, taking a DISCO's own MDB export and turning it into a working GIS based load flow platform where you can add your proposed transformer, run the analysis, and generate the before and after comparison DISCOs require.

From FDRANA to GIS Based Load Flow: Why Consultants Need Both

FDRANA is genuinely useful for early stage, non GIS load flow analysis. It lets a consultant quickly check feeder loading and voltage drop using manually entered or approximated network data, without needing a license for expensive commercial GIS software. This works well for internal planning and quick feasibility checks.

The problem appears once you are ready to submit a formal application for a new connection. NEPRA's distribution code and every DISCO's Planning Directorate require the submitted load flow analysis to reflect the feeder as it actually exists in the DISCO's own records, not a manually approximated version. That means working from the DISCO's real Synergi Electric .MDB export rather than a hand built FDRANA model. Network Builder is the bridge between these two stages: you start with FDRANA for early planning, then move to Network Builder once you have obtained the actual DISCO .MDB file and need to produce DISCO grade, GIS based analysis for formal submission.

How the Network Builder Works

You begin by uploading the original .MDB file provided or exported for your project's feeder, the same Synergi Electric format the DISCO itself uses. Network Builder reads this file and produces an analysis sheet structured just like the DISCO's own Synergi output, with the same node numbering, conductor details, and loading structure your DISCO's Planning Directorate is already familiar with reviewing. This matters because a submission that mirrors the DISCO's own reporting format is far easier for their engineers to check and approve than an unfamiliar layout from a different tool.

From there, you add your proposed new transformer directly onto the feeder, whether it connects to a general duty feeder or an independent feeder, and specify its location and rating. The tool then re-runs the load flow analysis with the new transformer in place, giving you an updated view of voltage profiles, line loading, and system losses across the feeder with your proposed addition included.

Before and After Analysis for NEPRA and DISCO Compliance

The core requirement every DISCO Planning Directorate enforces for a new connection is a clear before and after comparison. Before, meaning the feeder's existing performance without your proposed transformer, and after, meaning the same feeder's performance once your transformer is added. This comparison is how the DISCO confirms that your new connection will not push any part of the feeder beyond safe voltage or thermal limits, and it is a standard requirement across NEPRA's distribution code for external electrification submissions.

Network Builder generates both states directly from the same underlying feeder model, so the before and after results are genuinely comparable rather than coming from two separately built approximations. You get a clean, side by side view of how voltage, loading, and losses change once your transformer is added, exactly the evidence a DISCO reviewer needs to approve a design book submission for a new building, plaza, or housing society connection at the 11kV level.

An Affordable Alternative to Synergi Electric

Synergi Electric, the commercial GIS load flow software most DISCOs use internally, carries a license cost that runs into millions of rupees, well beyond what most independent consultants can justify for occasional project use. This has traditionally left consultants who rely on FDRANA with no realistic path to producing DISCO grade, GIS based before and after analysis themselves, forcing them to either skip this step, rely on informal estimates, or pay a third party at a high cost for every submission.

Network Builder was built specifically to close this gap. Any consultant already using FDRANA can access equivalent GIS based network analysis capability through Network Builder at a fraction of what a full Synergi Electric license would cost, without sacrificing the credibility of working from the DISCO's own actual .MDB data. This makes formal, DISCO ready before and after analysis realistically affordable for small and independent consultancies, not just large firms that can absorb enterprise software licensing costs.

General Duty Feeders and Independent Feeders

Where you add a new transformer matters. A general duty feeder already carries a mix of existing consumers and loads along its length, so adding a new transformer here means your analysis needs to account for how the new load interacts with everything already connected to that feeder. An independent feeder, by contrast, is typically dedicated more directly to a specific area or development, which can simplify the loading picture but still requires the same rigorous voltage and thermal check.

Network Builder lets you specify which type of feeder your proposed transformer connects to, and models the resulting network accordingly, so your before and after comparison correctly reflects the real operating conditions of that specific feeder type rather than a generic assumption.

Who This Tool Is For

Network Builder is built for independent electrical consultants who already rely on FDRANA and need a realistic, affordable way to produce GIS based, DISCO grade before and after analysis for new connection submissions. It is equally useful for engineering firms preparing design books for housing societies, commercial plazas, and building electrification projects, where a compliant load flow submission at the 11kV level is a mandatory part of the approval process, and for anyone who needs their analysis to visibly match the format and rigor of the DISCO's own Synergi Electric reporting.

From Upload to DISCO Submission: The Full Workflow

In practice, most consultants follow the same sequence with Network Builder. First, you obtain the .MDB file for the relevant feeder, either provided directly for your project or exported through the DISCO's own process. Second, you upload it into Network Builder, where the tool reconstructs the feeder exactly as recorded, giving you the baseline "before" analysis showing current voltage profiles, loading, and losses.

Third, you add your proposed transformer, specifying its rating and its connection point on the general duty or independent feeder your project falls under. Fourth, the tool re-runs the load flow with the new transformer in place, producing the "after" analysis. Finally, you export the complete before and after comparison as a formatted Excel report, ready to attach directly to your design book submission for the DISCO's Planning Directorate to review.

Because every step works from the same underlying feeder model rather than separate manual builds, the entire process from upload to a submission ready report typically takes a fraction of the time a manual Synergi Electric workflow would require, without cutting any corners on the technical rigor a DISCO reviewer expects to see.

Frequently Asked Questions