TERI offers Japanese tech assistance for energy efficiency in AP MSME sector

Vijayawada The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has evinced keen interest to offer Japanese energy-efficient technologies among micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Andhra Pradesh.

Delhi-based TERI is of the view that AP has tremendous scope and potential to promote energy efficiency to address serious challenges faced by the sector because of dependence on obsolete, low-efficiency technologies that result in wasteful energy consumption and reduce profitability and competitiveness in the MSMEs sector in India thereby controlling emissions also.

TERI is keen to introduce low-carbon technologies in AP MSMEs with the help of the Japanese Government after due consultation and consent from the Union Ministry of Power-led Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and other concerned ministries. TERI working in the fields of energy and environment has strongly focused on the MSME sector to promote energy efficiency.

A two-day conference on "Building a Resilient De-carbonized Society in India through Environmental Infrastructure and Technology" was conducted by TERI on Thursday and Friday in New Delhi in association with IGES (Institute of Global Environmental Strategies), Japan and other Indian as well as Japanese organizations.

During the conference the CEO, AP State Energy Conservation Mission (APSECM) A. Chandrasekhar Reddy, the Senior Director of TERI Girish Sethi said that Japan-India technology matchmaking platform (JITMAP) is working towards awareness creation amongst the MSMEs in India. It focuses on promoting low cost technologies to the user end. There is a need to explore the energy efficient technology basket to include the niche technology and the incorporation of state level policies as smooth transition is expected with the support of state government, he said.

Speaking about MSMEs of AP on this occasion, Sethi said that there is an excellent scope to facilitate

the introduction of low carbon technologies from Japan among the MSME sector in AP. As per the TERI's report presented to APSECM, Energy Department, the energy consumption in the industries sector of AP is around 18,844 MU (as per APERC Tariff order 2022-23) out of which MSMEs alone consumes around 5,000 MU per annum as per AP DISCOMs data.

"It is estimated that even if 10% energy is saved, 500 MU savings could be achieved with estimated monetary savings of Rs.300 crore per annum by implementing energy efficiency measures in a phased manner," he said.

He said TERI has conducted energy efficiency studies in major MSME clusters in AP namely

fisheries, refractory, foundry, spinning, dal processing and cold storages and recommended several energy

efficiency measures. "As per the study, it is estimated to save electrical energy to the tune of around 65

MU in the seafood processing sector in Bhimavaram and 12 MU in the foundry cluster and thermal energy

equivalent to 2400 metric tons of coal in the refractory cluster in East Godavari. In all the three clusters, it

is expected to reduce around 65,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.

TERI is now keen to explore the feasibility of adopting the Japanese energy efficiency technologies in MSMEs of AP", Sethi said