After power cuts, BEST to replace electricity cable network in SoBo

Since the start of this week, BEST has been riddled with frequent power failures, and to solve this problem, BEST has chalked out a five-year plan that will require a massive ₹6,000 crore investment for upgrading the eight-decade-old power supply network

Mumbai: The 80-year-old electricity cables in south Mumbai laid during the British era are now troubling the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking owning to frequent power cuts as temperatures rise in the city. For the second time this week on Wednesday, parts of south Mumbai, including Bhuleshwar, experienced power cuts due to failures in the ageing electric cables laying 2-4 meters beneath the surface.

BEST has chalked out a five-year plan that will require a massive ₹6,000 crore investment for upgrading the eight-decade-old power supply network. (REUTERS)

The problem lasted for a few minutes in Bhuleshwar and parts of CSMT at around 11 am and staff to repair the cable fault were deployed immediately, said BEST officials.

Since the start of this week, BEST has been riddled with frequent power failures, and to solve this problem, BEST has chalked out a five-year plan that will require a massive ₹6,000 crore investment for upgrading the eight-decade-old power supply network. The upgrade also includes restructuring the 1,000-km-long underground cable network. The undertaking is replacing cables spanning 800km that are 70-80 years old or even more at a few locations across the island city.

The undertaking, which supplies power to 10.5 lakh consumers from Colaba to Sion/Mahim areas, stated that the cables are under the process of being replaced. “There was a cable fault that our engineers and staff rectified. We have undertaken schemes for the replacement of old cables and automation of our distribution network to avoid the recurrence of interruptions. Due to the rise in demand for electricity, there is a load falling on these cable networks. The extensive infrastructure works also damage the underground cables at times,” said a BEST official.

The power demand in Mumbai is hovering around 3400 Mw and is expected to increase. Tata Power said they are taking proactive measures to meet summer peak power demand that could touch 1030 Mw for their 7.50 lakh consumers. Earlier this week, one of the problems raised by BEST was due to a failure in the 33 kV feeder line of Tata Power. “We have enhanced the distribution service by quick restoration of power through the adoption of cutting-edge Auto Transfer Schemes (ATS) and Feeder Remote Terminal Units (FRTU) in its Distribution Substations (DSS) and Customer Service Stations (CSS). It is also monitoring the network through thermal scanning of transformers, feeder pillars, and cables,” said a Tata Power official.