MSMEs told to adopt energy efficiency

Industrial energy demand in India has almost doubled in the last five years and it is expected to go up by over three times between 2012 and 2040, Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh has forecast.

“Therefore, adopting energy efficiency initiatives and following best practices in this regard would be helpful in reducing the energy demand and strengthening energy security,” he said at the National Conclave on Energy Efficiency in MSME sector held on 23 Sept 2019.

The Minister further said that upcoming New Tariff Policy proposes DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) method for transfer of power subsidies and this would incentivize energy saving by consumers.
He also stressed upon the need to make electricity prices rational for MSMEs.

Towards this end, the New Tariff Policy provides a trajectory to reduce cross subsidies, he said.

The Policy also has provision for providing open access in a time bound manner, the Minister informed.

“Your (MSMEs) energy consumption is huge, so the potential for savings is also huge. This potential need to be tapped,” said the Power Minister stressing that “We have to give a better world and cleaner environment to our future generations”.

The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Nitin Gadkari congratulated Minister Singh for organisisng the Conclave and said the initiative will help MSMEs by taking this sector towards sustainable and green pathway.

“Energy is the driving force for all the economic activities including MSME sector. Making efforts towards energy conservation and taking appropriate measures to mitigate carbon emissions is our key priority”, said Gadkari.

He also added “Energy efficiency measures would reduce MSMEs’ power bills and make them competitive in international market.”

The Government is committed to the development of MSMEs with an objective to transform the sector through green and sustainable initiatives towards high growth, stressed Gadkari.

The Ministers also released Energy Conservation Guidelines for MSMEs and launched the Knowledge Management Portal “SIDHIEE” under the BEE’s MSME Programme. This portal will host useful information including fifty videos of multimedia tutorials for MSMEs for early adoption of energy efficient technologies.

During the inaugural session, an MoU for enhancing energy security in MSMEs was also signed between the Development Commissioner, MSME and DG, Bureau of Energy Efficiency for developing a long-term roadmap for enhancing energy efficiency and security for the MSME Sector through focused intervention.

The MoU includes area of cooperation for comprehensive energy mapping of MSMEs on pan India, development of appropriate schemes and programs to improve energy security of MSMEs

It is expected that National Conclave on Enhancing Energy Efficiency in MSME sector will be useful in creating a platform for pooling the knowledge and synergising the efforts of various stakeholders.

The delegates would deliberate strategies to promote energy efficiency while discussing the key issues like technical and financial capabilities of MSMEs, capacity building and awareness programme.

Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Abhay Bakre informed that specially for MSME Sector, the Bureau has established energy management centers across India, developing more than 300 energy efficiency case studies and preparation of investment grade DPRs.

BEE has also implemented about 50 energy efficient technologies as pilot projects and periodically conducted nationwide awareness and capacity building workshops/training programs for various stakeholders, including support to 40 MSME units for adopting energy management systems as per ISO 50001 standards.

THE BEE, a statutory body under the Power Ministry, is assisted in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy.

BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies, and other organization to identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing the functions assigned to it under the energy conservation act. fiinews.com