India

Getting Electricity in

India

Below is a detailed summary of the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain an electricity connection for a newly constructed building in India.

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  • Standardized Company

  • Name of Utility: Bhrihan Mumbai Electricity & Transport Undertaking
  • City: Mumbai

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Submit application to Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) and await site inspection

An application for supply, addition or reduction in supply of electrical energy, shifting of service, extension of service, change of name or restoration of supply shall be made to BEST, copies of which are obtainable from the relevant ward offices or relevant consumer center of the Undertaking as well as downloadable from BEST’s website. The application duly filled in and signed by the owner or occupier of the premises in respect of which the supply or additional supply is required shall be accepted after preliminary scrutiny at the relevant Ward Office on payment of processing fee in accordance with Annex 1 of Schedule of Charges approved by the Commission. Documents needed to be submitted – completed application form; proof of occupancy; details of load requirement; purpose for which electric connection is required. Site inspection includes confirmation of premises, identification of location of terminating service cable, and position of meter cabin.
Agency: Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) 		7 calendar days INR 50.0
2 Receive external site inspection from BEST and await estimate

Appointment can be made over the phone giving reference of application no; electrical contractor should be licensed, registration with BEST of electrician not necessary. The Authorized Representative of the Undertaking on receipt of the application, with prior intimation, shall inspect the premises to confirm its eligibility and study the technical requirements of giving supply to the consumer and fix the position of main cut outs or circuit breakers and meters and sanction the load for the premises in consultation with the consumer and/or his Licensed Electrical contractor. Subsequently, BEST shall intimate the applicant of the details of any works that are required to be undertaken, the charges to be borne by the applicant thereon in accordance with Annex 2 of Schedule of Charges approved by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Agency: Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) 		8 calendar days no charge
3 Submit electrical contractor's wiring and test report and estimated amount to BEST

The connection cost is standard for connections between 100 KW - 150 KW. As required by Rule 45 of the Indian Electricity Rules, 1956, no electrical installation work (including additions, alterations, repairs and adjustment to existing installation) except such replacements of lamps, fans, fuses, switches and other component parts of the installation, as in no way alters the capacity and character of the installation, shall be carried out upon the premises on behalf of any consumer or owner for the purposes of supply of energy to such consumer or owner, except by an Electrical Contractor Licensed by Government in this behalf and under the direct supervision of a person holding a certificate of competency, issued by Government. As soon as the consumer's installation is completed in all respects and tested by the consumer’s contractor, the consumer must submit to BEST a wiring contractor's work Terms & Conditions of Supply completion and test report.
Agency: Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) 		1 calendar day INR 45,000.0
4 Electrical contractor conducts external connection works

Consumers supplied with low and medium voltage electrical energy shall provide and maintain an enclosure with a dry masonry wall not less than 250 millimeters thick or such other structure as may be approved by the Utility on which the utility's meter boards and service cutouts shall be supported and shall provide and maintain adequate protection for the meter board from ingress of water, tampering and mechanical damage. The consumer's mains shall in all cases, be brought to the Utility's point of supply.
Agency: Customer 		7 calendar days INR 8,000.0
5 BEST inspects wiring and installs meter

Upon receipt of the test report, the Authorized representative of the distribution company, with prior intimation, shall inspect the equipments / apparatus / wiring to confirm compliance as per the test report given. Upon successful verification of the test report the distribution company shall proceed with the fixing of meters and coupling them with the consumer's installation preparatory to the inspection and testing of the installation and connection of supply. The consumer's wiring contractor should ensure that each installation is properly identified by a tag or otherwise, at the point of supply.
Agency: Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) 		7 calendar days no charge
6 BEST inspects and tests installation

After the meters have been coupled to the installation the undertaking will notify the consumer's Licensed Electrical Contractor the time and the day when the undertaking's representative proposes to inspect and test the installation. It will then be the duty of the Licensed Electrical Contractor to arrange for his supervisor to be present, at the inspection to give the Undertaking or its representative any information or assistance required concerning the installation.
Agency: Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) 		7 calendar days no charge
7 Submit meter security deposit, receive external connection and electricity starts flowing

Security deposit - A consumer with a consumption of electricity of not less than one lac (1,00,000) kilo-watt hours per month and with no undisputed sums payable to the Undertaking may, at the option of such consumer, deposit security, by way of cash (including cheque and demand draft), irrevocable letter of credit or unconditional bank guarantee issued by a scheduled commercial bank. In case a consumer who has deposited security subsequently opts to receive supply through a prepaid meter, the amount of such security deposit shall, after deduction of all monies owing from such consumer, be either refunded to such consumer or treated as a part of the value of the prepaid credit to the account of such consumer, from which the value of his future consumption is to be deducted. The Undertaking shall apply any security so deposited, towards satisfaction of any amount which is due or owing from the consumer.
Agency: Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) 		30 calendar days INR 123,444.3
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