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The Honourable Prime Minister, Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, has given a dynamic thrust to energy efficiency and
conservation in India by releasing an Action Plan prepared by the
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and setting clear conservation targets
for the government and the public sector. The Action Plan was launched
at the International Conference on Strategies for Energy Conservation
in the New Millennium, organised by Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry and the Union Ministry of Power (MOP) on
August 23, 2002.
The Prime Minister has given a cutting edge to the Action Plan with
a specific five-year target of 30% energy conservation in the government
sector. He emphasised that its time for real conservation after years
of conversation on energy efficiency. These are significant and historic
steps that are essential if the country is to meet its developmental
aspirations, which are linked to growing energy needs.
The new scenario requires a paradigm shift in the functioning and
management of energy efficiency within government organisations. It
would entail a market transformation for the Energy Service Companies
(ESCOs) and the private enterprise. The private sector, too, has been
set a target of 20% energy saving over the next five years. This should
open up vistas of new opportunities for business and entrepreneurship.
Energy efficiency could emerge as the driving force for economic recovery
and growth in the new scenario.
BEE has been working towards operationalising these targets in consultation
between various government departments and the ESCOs to implement
a building energy efficiency programme. As the Prime Minster stated
at the launch of the Action Plan, the government would take a lead
by initiating energy audit in the key buildings including the Rashtrapati
Bhawan, Sansad Bhawan and the North and South Blocks. The MOP, in
consultation with other ministries and the Central Public Works Department,
has short-listed other administrative buildings for energy audits.
The MOP is consulting with the Union Ministry of Finance to devise
appropriate financing mechanisms. BEE would coordinate, support and
facilitate this process.
The national capital has witnessed two major developments in the recent
past, which would provide a boost to the energy sector and the environment.
First is the unbundling and privatisation of power distribution in
Delhi. Moreover, the capital has now been linked to the Eastern power
grid. Hence load shedding and unscheduled power cuts may diminish
in the future.
The launch of the Delhi Metro is also a significant development. This
is another major step in addressing pollution and congestion in the
city. These two developments would usher in an environmentally safer
future for the national capital.
The mission of BEE is to institutionalise energy efficiency services
and to establish appropriate delivery mechanisms for these services,
with the prime objective of reducing intensive and wasteful use of
energy in the Indian economy.
The Bureau is launching awareness programmes on energy efficiency
policies and technology options amongst energy producers, consumers,
industries, infrastructure services and household sectors. In order
to bring about a lasting transformation in social attitudes and value
systems in favour of energy efficiency, the Bureau is launching programmes
aimed at school children and the teaching community.
Energise would present some of these key developments through its
pages. Your feedback as observers would be valuable in ensuring the
success of the national energy conservation programme. |
Shashi Shekhar
Director General, BEE |
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