Government to replace 3 cr pumpsets

As part of their energy efficiency move, the Centre is planning to rollout a new scheme to replace three  crore irrigation pumpsets across the country in the next three to four years with energy-efficient ones.

 As many as two crore pumps (running on electricity) and another one crore on diesel generators pumps will be replaced with energy-efficient ones, a senior official from the Power Ministry told Deccan Herald.

 The project will cost around Rs 75,000 crore and Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal has asked ministry officials to prepare a detailed project report to implement the scheme. The scheme will be rolled out with central government funding and the government may collect small amount from beneficiary farmers, said the official.

 “The cost of the project could be recovered by the end of the scheme period due to 37 per cent annual reduction in electricity consumption by agriculturists by using energy efficient pumpsets which will in turn save Rs 15,000 crore a year for power distribution companies and about Rs 5,000 crore for states that subsidise electricity to farmers,” said an official at Energy Efficiency Services Ltd, (EESL).

EESL is implementing the energy efficiency schemes of the Centre.