EESL to invest Rs 24,700 crore for energy conservation in Andhra

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a company under the Ministry of Power, has signed multiple MoUs with the government of Andhra Pradesh entailing investment of Rs 24,700 crore for energy efficiency and solar projects in the state.

The execution of the projects will help the state reduce consumption of power and add over 80,000 jobs in the state.

Through a memorandum of understanding signed at the Partnership Summit here on Saturday, the EESL will distribute energy-efficient domestic appliances like LED bulbs and tubelights and 5-star rated fans under the 'Unnat Jeevan by Affordable LEDs and Appliances for All (UJALA) scheme.

Andhra Pradesh was the first state to execute the UJALA programme for LED bulbs in 2015. The EESL will continue to execute the programme in the state for three years, the company said in a statement.

The EESL will also install a 50,000 Solar Photo-Voltaic (PV) grid connected to agricultural pump sets in each DISCOM area.

It is acknowledged that irrigation needs are intermittent, between 200 to 250 days in a year, leaving most of the days with additional power available. Solar PV grid- connected pump sets will bridge the gap and the surplus power may be fed back to the grid.

Several other projects will be executed by the EESL for the state government, including conversion of 500 government-owned buildings into energy-efficient buildings over three years; installation and maintenance of energy efficient LED street lights in 1000 gram panchayats over 10 years; and replacement of over 10 lakh inefficient agricultural pump sets with energy efficient ones in three years.

--IANS

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