BEST will seek more than one lakh new electricity customers in Mumbai during the Ganeshotsav period as the civic electricity provider responds to growing competition from private suppliers, including Tata Power, in redevelopment projects and newly built housing complexes.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport undertaking currently has about 10.60 lakh electricity customers, according to the report. Its campaign will target Ganesh mandals, housing societies, newly constructed buildings and commercial establishments across the city.
BEST has formed two teams for the outreach drive. The teams will be divided into northern and southern zones covering Mumbai’s municipal wards and will focus on identifying potential consumers and facilitating new electricity connections.
The campaign comes as large residential buildings and housing complexes are being developed in several parts of Mumbai. The report said private electricity suppliers have been providing connections to some of these projects, creating direct competition for BEST in areas where new demand is emerging.
BEST has also faced difficulties in establishing substations needed to supply electricity in some locations. Tata Power supplied electricity to a large housing complex in Wadala after the challenges related to setting up the required BEST substation, according to the report.
Tata Power’s customer base in Mumbai has crossed eight lakh after increasing by more than one lakh over the past few years. The company has also been developing infrastructure for locations where space is limited. In Parel, it has commissioned what it described as its first underground submersible substation. The 400 kVA substation continued to operate during the monsoon even when it was completely submerged, the report said.
Tata Power plans to construct more than 100 underground substations in Mumbai over the next four years. The company said the installations would help improve voltage stability in densely populated residential and commercial areas.
For BEST, the planned outreach is aimed at regaining a stronger position in a market where redevelopment and new construction are generating fresh demand for electricity connections. BEST committee chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao described the undertaking as an old and trusted institution.
The two BEST teams are scheduled to visit targeted organisations and properties during the Ganeshotsav campaign, with new electricity connections forming the central focus of the drive.
