BergerWorld: 2nd Quarter 2007

Mumbai is the capital city of the state of Maharashtra, as well as India's commercial, entertainment and financial center. Since 1947, Mumbai's population has grown by more than nine million and currently accommodates over 13 million residents, making it one of the most populous cities in the world. In recent years, the Berger Group has undertaken a number of ambitious assignments in this booming region, including assisting the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Agency launch the initial segment of the $4 billion Mumbai Mass Rapid Transit System; providing construction supervision for the $20 million Santacruz Chembur Link Road; and serving as advisor to Reliance Energy to manage the preparation of their bid for the concession of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

The Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) was formed in 1960 to regulate electricity throughout Maharashtra State. In 2005, under the government of India's Electricity Act of 2003, MSEB was divided into three separate companies: Mahavitran, responsible for distribution; Mahagenco, responsible for generation; and Mahatransco, responsible for transmission.

Mahavitran, also known as the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (MSEDCL), is the largest electricity distribution company in India. Responsible for the distribution needs of the booming state of Maharashtra, it serves 14 million consumers with a combined capacity of over 30,000 megawatts (connected load of 10,000 megawatts on High Tension (HT) lines and 21,000 megawatts on Low Tension (LT) lines). MSEDCL recently launched a $5 billion program to improve existing electricity distribution and to develop new infrastructure to meet anticipated growing energy demand within the state. The project is being launched in 11 regions throughout Maharashtra and will primarily focus on reducing transmission and distribution losses, Distribution Transformer Center failures, and improving voltage profile and HT line/LT line ratio. To assist MSEDCL implement the ambitious program, the Berger Group was commissioned as Main Project Management Consultant (MPMC) as well as Zonal Project Management Consultant (ZPMC) for the Pune and Nagpur Zones, two rapidly growing Maharashtra urban centers.

As MPMC, Berger is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the program, including soliciting bids; assisting in the finalization of bidding documents for various sub-projects; and supervising the construction and implementation of the various components. The Team will also assist MSEDCL build capacity in program management by training their personnel and developing a comprehensive Management Information System. In addition, Berger will assist in refining the project reports, liaising in regulatory affairs, and developing quality assurance and quality control procedures. Berger's tasks as ZPMC include developing project management systems and procedures at the zonal level, coordinating with stakeholders and other concerned agencies regarding project implementation schedules and supervising the implementation of the various projects. The Maharashtra Electricity Distribution Project is expected to be completed by 2009/2010 and will lead to the commissioning of 555 new substations, upgrades to 457 existing substations and the development of 330 additional transformers, increasing the existing system's power transformer capacity by 6,700 megavolt amperes. The project will also entail laying more than 8,000 kilometers of 33-kilovolt transmission line and 58,000 kilometers of 22/11-kilovolt transmission line.