MUMBAI, June 14 -- State-owned Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), which supplies electricity to parts of Mumbai's eastern suburbs and the rest of Maharashtra, is seeking a licence to expand its jurisdiction to the rest of Mumbai, from Colaba to Dahisar. It also aims to supply electricity to areas that fall under the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, just outside Mumbai's city limits. To this end, MSEDCL, also known as Mahavitaran, has filed a petition for a parallel electricity distribution licence with the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC). At present, three companies supply electricity to Mumbai, the latest being Tata Power, after Adani Electricity and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking. In 2022, Adani Electricity had applied for a parallel licence to supply power to Navi Mumbai and adjoining areas, with a plan to invest Rs.5,700 crore. The move was opposed by MSEDCL as Navi Mumbai generates significant revenue for the state-owned corporation, due to the number of high-end consumers here, such as housing societies, business establishments and industrial units, among others. MSEDCL's application for a parallel licence for electricity distribution in Mumbai and its suburbs is a counter move as Adani has a strong presence in the metropolis. MSEDCL supplies 26,000 MW electricity to the state, daily, while Mumbai's current requirement is 4,000 MW. "Mumbai is seeing rapid development due to large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the Coastal Road and an expansion in its metro network. This improved connectivity is fuelling residential, commercial and industrial expansion, said an official with MSEDCL. "Many data centres are being developed in the eastern and western suburbs of Mumbai, and they require a large amount of electricity. Apart from this, many businesses in the service sector are expanding. All this will require a large amount of power and MSEDCL can provide them cheap electricity,." Lokesh Chandra, managing director, MSEDCL, said, "Efforts will be made to provide affordable, green electricity and cheaper tariffs to Mumbaiites, as 52% of the power will come from green energy sources by 2030."...