BESCOM Bengaluru: Karnataka DISCOM for Rooftop Solar

Definition

Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) is the DISCOM serving Bengaluru and 7 surrounding districts in Karnataka. Major Indian residential and commercial solar market. Implements KERC orders.

Key Takeaways

BESCOM = Bengaluru area DISCOM (Karnataka).
Serves urban + 7 surrounding districts.
Implements KERC orders.
Major commercial solar market.
Net metering up to 1 MW for residential + commercial.

What BESCOM Does

BESCOM is the distribution licensee for Bengaluru and the surrounding districts — it does not set solar policy itself, but implements the net metering, tariff, and interconnection orders issued by KERC (Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission) for its service territory. In practice, that means BESCOM is the utility a rooftop or commercial solar customer in Bengaluru actually applies to for interconnection, while KERC is the body whose rules govern what BESCOM is allowed to approve.

Because Bengaluru has one of the densest concentrations of residential and commercial rooftop solar in India, BESCOM handles a higher volume of net metering applications than most other Indian DISCOMs, and feeder or distribution-transformer capacity constraints come up more often as a reason for delayed approval in high-adoption pockets of the city.

BESCOM vs. Other Karnataka DISCOMs

Karnataka is divided among five DISCOMs, each under the same KERC regulatory umbrella but with its own service territory and application portal:

DISCOM	Primary Service Area
BESCOM	Bengaluru urban + 7 surrounding districts
MESCOM	Mangalore region (coastal Karnataka)
CESCOM	Mysuru region
HESCOM	Hubli region (north Karnataka)
GESCOM	Kalaburagi region (northeast Karnataka)

A design or EPC firm quoting a project outside Bengaluru should confirm which of these five DISCOMs actually serves the site before assuming BESCOM’s application process and timelines apply.

For EPCs and design teams working across BESCOM’s territory, Solar Permits India: State-Wise Processing Times 2026 puts Karnataka’s approval timelines in context against other major states, which is useful when setting customer expectations on a Bengaluru project. Because BESCOM interconnection for larger systems runs alongside a separate electrical inspectorate sign-off, our Electrical CEIG Drawings service is the natural next stop for projects that need both approvals moving in parallel. On the commercial side, Karnataka’s dense C&I rooftop market is exactly the segment covered in Heaven Green Energy’s commercial and industrial solar work.

Frequently Asked Questions

6 commonly searched questions about BESCOM.

What area does BESCOM cover?

BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited) serves Bengaluru city and 7 surrounding districts in Karnataka, making it one of the largest urban DISCOMs in India by connected solar capacity.

Is BESCOM the same as KERC?

No. KERC (Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission) is the state regulator that issues net metering, RPO, and tariff orders. BESCOM is a DISCOM — the distribution utility that implements those KERC orders for its service territory around Bengaluru.

What is the net metering limit under BESCOM?

BESCOM follows KERC's net metering order, which currently permits rooftop solar net metering up to 1 MW for both residential and commercial consumers, subject to sanctioned load and feeder-capacity checks.

Do I need CEIG approval for a BESCOM-connected solar system?

Yes, for systems at or above the capacity threshold set by Karnataka's Chief Electrical Inspector General (CEIG) — typically required alongside the BESCOM net metering application for larger residential and most commercial installations.

Which DISCOM serves my property if I'm not in Bengaluru?

Outside BESCOM's territory, Karnataka is served by MESCOM, CESCOM, HESCOM, and GESCOM. All four still operate under KERC's statewide net metering and tariff orders, but application portals and processing timelines differ by DISCOM.

How does BESCOM's process compare to other Indian DISCOMs?

The core workflow — application, technical feasibility check, net metering agreement, meter installation, and permission to operate — is broadly similar across Indian DISCOMs. BESCOM's high solar adoption in Bengaluru means feeder-capacity and transformer-loading checks are a more common source of delay than in lower-density DISCOM territories.