{
  "id": 10562824,
  "title": "Mumbai: BEST Plans Power Expansion Into Eastern, Western Suburbs; Targets 8–10 Per Cent Consumer Base Growth",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/mumbai-best-plans-power-expansion-into-eastern-western-suburbs",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T23:18:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-best-plans-power-expansion-into-eastern-western-suburbs-targets-810-per-cent-consumer-base-growth"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mumbai, September 28, 2026 - The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) is planning to expand its electricity distribution services beyond Mumbai's central island area into the eastern and western suburbs, according to a report. The undertaking aims to conduct a comprehensive technical study to evaluate the feasibility of the expansion, factoring in factors such as network capacity, required manpower, and investment. The study is expected to be completed within a month, after which BEST will decide on the next steps. If BEST does not pursue this expansion, private electricity distributors could step in, similar to what happened with Dolphin Telecom. Ramakant Gupta, a BJP committee member of BEST, emphasized the importance of BEST adapting to changing market demands and conditions. Currently, BEST serves around 10.8 lakh electricity consumers, while Adani Electricity and Tata Power have significantly larger consumer bases of 29 lakh and 7 lakh, respectively. The planned expansion seeks to increase BEST's customer base by 8-10 percent, contingent on the study's findings. Traditionally, BEST's focus has been on the island city, whereas Adani Electricity and Tata Power have a substantial presence in various suburban regions. The expansion could provide BEST with access to a larger consumer base, enhancing its role in Mumbai's electricity distribution sector. The proposal also emerges as BEST adds approximately 5,500 new electricity consumers in the island city. The feasibility of the expansion will depend on the technical study's outcomes, including the cost of network expansion, manpower requirements, and investment.",
  "summary": "Mumbai, September 28, 2026: The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) is preparing a plan to expand its electricity distribution business beyond Mumbai’s island city and into the eastern and western suburbs. The undertaking will conduct a detailed technical study to assess whether its existing electricity network can be extended to suburban areas, the manpower required and the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}