Minister for Water and Power, Syed Naveed Qamar on Thursday directed launching of 30 million Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) or energy saver bulbs distribution programme throughout the country in a transparent manner from April, this year. He made these directions while presiding over a meeting on distribution plan of CFLs. The ministry of water and power will carry out the over all project management. It will reduce consumer’s bill by Rs300 per bulb, per year. The project will help in reducing peak demand over 1000 MW, in avoiding generation of 1600 MW. The project will yield Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) revenues of about $32 million by 2018.
The minister said CFLs will be distributed free of cost to non defaulters domestic consumers under national energy efficiency programme with the financial cooperation of Asian Development Bank and AFD of France. He directed the project coordinator of NTDC that no further delay in the energy conservation plan would be tolerated. The project was initially planned to be implemented in 2009. He directed DISCOs to devise a transparent distribution and monitoring mechanism. A proper awareness campaign and plan of distribution must be started for the consumers. The minister said CFL project is an initiative of the government to improve energy efficiency in power sector.
President and prime minister are very keen to start the programme at the earliest. As approximately, 1000 MW will be saved under this programme and will help to reduce the gap between demand and supply and will give relief to industrial and other consumers. The meeting decided that CFLs will be distributed in three phases by the DISCOs and in the first phase, life line consumers will be given two CFLs in exchange of two healthy incandescent bulbs of 40 and 100 Watts. The meeting was attended by secretary ministry of water and power, CEOs of DISCOs, programme coordinator, senior officials of the ministry and representatives of KESC.
