Govt rolls-out energy efficiency norms for core industries

02 Apr 2012 Evaluate

In an attempt to rationalize the consumption of power in India, the government has come up with energy efficiency targets for the core industries. The shortlisted companies account for more than one third of energy consumption in India and include companies like Reliance India and Vedanta Aluminium Company.

The sectors covered are iron & steel, cement, fertilizers, aluminum, pulp & paper, chlor-alkali, textiles and thermal power stations and include 478 most energy-intensive industrial units of India. The targeted list includes plants using more than a specific amount of energy and reflects the amount of energy that an organisation must save in producing its product rather than just an overall reduction in its energy consumption.

The government has also come up with a reward and penalty mechanism. Companies which do achieve greater energy efficiency improvements within the specified targets can capture the excess savings through the issuance of energy saving certificates. These certificates can be traded and bought by other units covered by the programme when the companies find it expensive to meet their targets through own actions. Units which are unable to meet their targets will be liable for penalty of Rs 10,154 for every shortfall of 1 tonne of oil equivalent in the achievement of the target.

The current proposal is part of India’s commitments to lessen the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.  The action plan hopes to emulate the clean development mechanism process under which several Indian companies gain carbon credits in return for implementing clean technologies, which can then be sold to companies in Europe. India, without participating in any international legal commitments, has agreed that its per capita emissions of carbon dioxide would never exceed that of the western countries.

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