Mumbai, September 5, 2026: The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) is preparing an aggressive outreach drive during the Ganesh festival to win new electricity consumers, as competition from private suppliers grows amid Mumbai's redevelopment boom.
The undertaking has formed two teams to visit Ganesh pandals, housing societies, newly constructed buildings and commercial establishments across the island city. Officials said the exercise aims to add more than one lakh consumers to BEST's existing base of around 10.60 lakh.
BEST Targets New Connections
The teams will be divided into North and South zones, covering all BMC wards, and will identify new connections and opportunities to expand the consumer base.
BEST officials said the undertaking has remained conservative in its approach to acquiring consumers, even as competitors have been approaching new developments.
BEST Committee chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao said the undertaking must become more aggressive to avoid losing out to private suppliers. "The competition is approaching these new towers. So much redevelopment work is going on and the administration has not been forthcoming. I have asked to be more aggressive, else we will lose to our competitors. BEST is an old and trusted organisation and we should make use of it," she said.
Private Competition Grows
The push comes against the backdrop of a changing electricity market in Mumbai. Vishwasrao had earlier pointed out that Tata Power was supplying electricity to her new home in Wadala because of difficulties in setting up a substation. Meanwhile, Tata Power's consumer base has touched 8 lakh, representing a growth of more than one lakh in the last few years.
Tata Power officials said the company was using innovations to serve new consumers even where space was limited. Sources said the company had developed and commissioned its first underground submersible substation in Parel.
The 400 kVA substation has remained operational during the monsoon, even when fully submerged underwater. Its top surface can also be used for parking or other public utility purposes, sources said.
Tata Power Plans More Substations
Tata Power plans to build more than 100 such underground substations in Mumbai over the next four years, which it expects will improve voltage stability in densely populated residential and commercial areas.
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For BEST, the festival drive is not merely a consumer acquisition exercise. It is also an attempt to regain ground in a market where new buildings and redevelopment projects are creating fresh demand for electricity connections.
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