USAID funds industrial energy conservation project

Hiran H. SENEWIRATNE

ENERGY CONSERVATION: USAID is carrying out a pilot project to introduce energy cost reduction methods for large-scale industries and commercial buildings.

This concept will be launched in April to popularise the concept among other industrialists in the country.

Under the pilot project, five industrialists are at present adopting cost effective energy conservation methods. Those industries i.e. large commercial building in Colombo, a garment factory, brush factory and two rubber factories, are in the process of testing them with the assistance of USAID and the Energy Conservation Fund (ECF), USAID- Senior Energy Specialist M. S. Jayalath said.

The reason for this programme to be launched is that 30 per cent of energy go waste in most of the industrial sites including large commercial buildings, due to the absence of proper energy saving equipment.

By adopting proper energy conservation methods 30 per cent could be saved, Jayalath said.

The Government has allocated Rs. 80 million for the creation of the fund and the ECF is working as a guarantor for this programme to obtain loans for prospective entities. This money will be given as loans, which is guaranteed by the ECF.

The Government is supportive for this venture and intends to extend further assistance in the future to popularise the project throughout the country, he said.

Once the project is launched they intend to introduce the concept for 50 large-scale industries and commercial buildings before the end of this year.

Technical assistance would be given for whole operations by the USAID to make the programme meaningful, he said.

Prospective industrialists and commercial building owners could obtain all technical assistance from the ECF. This concept would be mainly for industries, which has a bulk electricity access with the Ceylon Electricity Board.

USAID's South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy (SARI/Energy) programme focuses on regional approaches to meet South Asia's energy security needs through increased trade, investment and access to clean energy.