Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, Government of West Bengal, Mr. Firhad Hakim, today inaugurated the Municipal Energy Efficiency Programme (MEEP), to enable energy efficient water supply across the state. The Department of Urban Development & Municipal Affairs, in partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a JV of CPSUs, is implementing the programme across the state. As of today, 39 urban local bodies (ULBs) have joined this programme and 1060 water pumps are currently being replaced with energy efficient variants. Some ULBs are further expected to join shortly.The programme will lead to energy savings of 33.22 Million Units and reduction in GHG emissions by 27245 ton of CO2 annually, resulting in monetary savings of Rs 153.65 crores during the project period of 7 years.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Mr Subrata Gupta, Principal Secretary, Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal and Mr S Gopal, Director (Commercial), EESL and also witnessed the exchange of Tripartite agreements with 39 ULBs/Municipalities.
Speaking at the occasion, Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, Government of West Bengal, Mr. Firhad Hakim said, “The Government of West Bengal, through its initiatives has been at the forefront of enabling energy efficiency in the state. Its conservation initiatives have been cost effective and transparent, narrowing the gap between power demand and supply in the state. Energy Efficiency in municipal water supply systems will play a huge role in our water conservation efforts and this programme is a step in the right direction.”
“We are committed towards creating a stable, sustainable, transparent public utility systems in the state. I urge all Municipalities/Corporations to provide their active support in making our water management system reliable, energy efficient, and one of the best in the country” added Mr. Hakim.
EESL will make the entire upfront capital investment for the energy efficiency transition of public water works, thereby accelerating the pace of adoption of Energy Efficient technologies for the urban local bodies. The Programme will also contribute towards reducing the subsidy burden for the exchequer, while ensuring better delivery of municipal services to the masses. The pumps being installed under the programme are easy to control and monitor. These energy efficient pumps will lead to reduced cost of operations and maintenance. Further, the programme will also enable the municipal bodies to direct the surplus energy to the areas that need it
Mr S Gopal, Director (Commercial), EESL, said “The programme will provide enormous benefits to the citizens in terms of improved water supply systems, and the DISCOMs & ULBs, by ushering in significant energy & cost savings, in addition to reduced CO2 emissions. EESL is committed to enabling more energy efficiency across India and we are grateful to the Government of West Bengal for entrusting us with this responsibility. We look forward to working with the Department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs in ensuring a seamless energy efficiency transition of public water works in the state. We also congratulate the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department for the initiative and taking concrete action for dealing with the serious issue of climate change.”
Energy efficiency (EE) and Demand Side Management (DSM) are the quintessential strategies for Indian Municipalities and Electric Utilities to improve their operational efficiency and reduce overall cost of operations in a sustainable manner. This Programme shall make the water supply infrastructure energy efficient and sustainable which will ultimately result in better quality of life by reducing the carbon emissions, leading to a cleaner environment.
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