Maharashtra govt approves revised Rs 3,346 cr plan for modernisation of BEST's power segment

Mumbai, Aug 29 (PTI) The Maharashtra industries and energy department on Friday approved a revised scheme of Rs 3,346.29 crore for the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).

According to a government resolution (GR) issued during the day, the scheme has been cleared for strengthening and modernisation of power distribution systems, capacity enhancement and ensuring uninterrupted, reliable and affordable electricity supply to consumers in Mumbai.

The decision follows the approval granted earlier to BEST for smart metering, reducing distribution losses and system upgrades under the same scheme, it said.

In 2022, a detailed project report worth Rs 3,461 crore was cleared, of which Rs 1,649.12 crore had already been sanctioned for prepaid smart meters and loss-reduction works.

"The revised plan, prepared in line with the Resource Adequacy Plan up to 2030, envisages large-scale infrastructure expansion including new receiving and distribution substations, advanced distribution management systems, auxiliary equipment among others. The updated detailed project report of Rs 3,346.29 crore was approved by the state cabinet and will now be submitted to Power Finance Corporation (PFC) for monitoring committee clearance," it said.

The action plan under the scheme also sets yearly targets for reducing aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses and bridging the ACS-ARR (average cost of supply'-average revenue realised) gap to strengthen the financial sustainability of the distribution utility, the order said. PTI ND BNM