Centre starts programme to promote energy efficiency

The Centre has launched a programme to improve efficiency in energy use in bulk water supply, public lighting, transportation and domestic consumption in cities and towns across the country, it was announced on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Urban Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector company, in this regard, said an official release here.

The MoU says that energy costs account for 40 to 60 per cent of the cost of water supply in urban areas and energy efficiency interventions can reduce this cost by 25 to 40 per cent, depending on the type and age of machines used for bulk water supply.

Quoting Central Electricity Authority (CEA), it said that urban local bodies can save about Rs 6,000 crore per year through such interventions in water supply and public lighting alone, besides avoiding the need for 1,150 megawatt of power.

Savings in water supply is said to be Rs 3,200 crore and 600 MW of power while it would be Rs 2,800 crore and 550 MW in case of public lighting per year.

The MoU was signed in the presence of the Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy Sources and Coal Piyush Goyal and Rajiv Gauba, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development.

Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said that energy audit and improving energy use efficiency is one of the mandated reforms under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and this initiative will help the cities significantly.

"This will substantially reduce costs of operation of water supply schemes and public lighting and will benefit citizens," the release quoted Naidu as saying.

"EESL has done a great job over the last one year in promoting energy use efficiency programmes across the country and has done much better than private sector. EESL will ensure supply of latest technology for municipal programmes," Goyal said.

--IANS

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