HYDERABAD: In what might come as a big relief to authorities, the State government will be able to save a whopping Rs 2,563 crore on power charges on agriculture pump sets if they are replaced with energy-efficient ones. According to a study, 99 per cent of the 25 lakh pump sets in the State are being rewound and are hence consuming more energy.
E Srinivasa Chary, the chairman of the Energy Conservation Mission, Institute of Engineers, informed the same to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) in the latter’s recently held State advisory Committee meeting. The minutes of the meeting were out on Wednesday.
Chary, who is also a member of the advisory committee, said that there was a scope for reducing power consumption by 30 per cent and thus save around Rs 2,563 crore. Chary recommended the ERC to appoint Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) for replacing existing agricultural pump sets with energy-efficient ones.
He suggested that replacement may be undertaken on a pilot basis for ascertaining the savings and field level difficulties. He also suggested allocation of separate budget for promotion of energy efficient measures in wake of falling groundwater levels. Chary will soon submit a detailed worksheet on replacing existing pump sets.
The ERC will take a decision after Discoms submit their reply. It may be mentioned that Chary was instrumental in replacing the existing street lights in the GHMC limits with 4.5 lakh LED lights.