Power Supply Issues Hit South Mumbai as BEST Struggles with Aging Infrastructure

Mumbai, 4th October 2024: Just three days into October, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) is already struggling with power supply issues. For the past three days, parts of South Mumbai have experienced two-to-four-hour power outages due to heavy load.

On Thursday evening, power cuts affected areas like Bhuleshwar, Kalbadevi, Princess Street, Fanaswadi, and other densely populated neighbourhoods in South Mumbai. “For the last three days, there has been a power cut around 6-7 pm lasting for 2-4 hours,” said D Vyas, a Bhuleshwar resident. “On Wednesday night, power was restored only after midnight. It’s just the start of October, and we’re already facing power outages in the city.”

According to BEST officials, the congested bazaar areas of South Mumbai rely on 80-year-old power cables that need replacement. “In the past 4-5 days, cable fault complaints have increased from 3-4 per day to 15-16. The cables are old, and we have plans for their replacement. We have sought permission from the BMC for road digging, which should be granted soon. Due to space constraints in these areas, increasing the number of substations necessary for stable power supply has been difficult,” said a BEST official, who spoke anonymously as they are not authorized to talk to the media.

To address the issue, BEST aims to replace the 80-year-old cables and establish compact secondary substations every 300-400 meters at key junctions and housing societies. However, ongoing redevelopment across the city has posed challenges, as real estate developers are reluctant to allow substations on their premises, which is critical for uninterrupted power supply.

The ageing electrical cables are located 2-4 meters underground. BEST has outlined a five-year plan to replace them, requiring an investment of ₹6,000 crore to enhance the power supply network, including restructuring a 1,000-km underground cable system.

Authorities also attribute the recent spike in power demand to rising temperatures following the monsoon. The peak electricity demand in the island city under BEST’s jurisdiction reached 814 MW on Wednesday and 835 MW on Thursday, while the average is around 730-750 MW. BEST officials expect the demand to surpass 900 MW this month. This summer, demand in the island city exceeded 1,000 MW.

Power demand across Mumbai has also exceeded 3,600 MW and is expected to rise further. BEST, which has a purchase agreement with Tata Power, is seeking additional affordable power from other sources. Although Tata Power will continue to supply 375 MW, the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved BEST’s request to procure 125 MW of lower-cost power externally.

“We have secured a contract to procure 125 MW of round-the-clock power from Sai Wardha Power Generation Pvt Ltd at a rate of ₹5.56 per unit,” said another BEST official.

According to BEST’s petition, this agreement will result in savings of ₹569 crore, benefiting 1.05 million consumers.