To save energy and avoid frequent malfunctioning of irrigation pumpsets, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has funded a project under which all inefficient IP sets in Byadgi taluk of Haveri district and Nippani taluk of Belgaum district will be replaced. Inefficient IP sets that are a decade old will be replaced by new high-efficient pumpsets (NHEP). A total of 594 farmers in the two taluks will be covered in the first phase of the project, which commenced in February last. It is expected to be completed by year-end.
G.R. Chintala, Chief General Manager (CGM), Regional Office, Bangalore, said the Hubli Electricity Supply Company (Hescom) had proposed replacing 10,000 IP sets in its jurisdiction under a Distribution Reform, Upgrades and Management (DRUM) power project. The government-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL) bagged the project from Hescom. Enzen Global Solutions Private Ltd., Bangalore, has been executing the project in partnership with EESL.
“We developed this project based on lessons learnt from a project implemented in 37 villages of Doddaballapur taluk (Bangalore Rural district). It saves 30 per cent energy that [can be used] to light up 4,000 households,” he said.
NABARD sanctioned the DRUM project under its Umbrella Programme on Natural Resource Management. It sanctioned Rs. 1.5 crore to the private firm to replace the IP sets. The cost of each IP set is around Rs. 35,000. IP sets ranging from 3 to 8 HP capacities would be installed.
Under this model, the farmer need not pay to get the inefficient IP sets changed to NHEP. EESL and the private firm will get back their investment through the energy savings achieved from use of NHEPs. While EESL and the private firm will share 95 per cent of the revenue, Hescom will get 5 per cent.
The total cost of the project is Rs. 3 crore. While Enzen Global Solutions Private Ltd. will invest 60 per cent of the cost, EECL will bear the rest. Mr. Chintala added that the project would address inefficient energy management and arrest depletion of groundwater through artificial recharge.
