Patna: Bihar on Tuesday launched a scheme that can light up the state's streets at night.
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) on Tuesday launched Government of India's street light national programme (SLNP) in Bihar in collaboration with the state government's urban development & housing department.
EESL (a joint venture of public sector units of the Union power ministry) - the programme's implementation agency - signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state urban development department in the presence of minister Suresh Kumar Sharma, urban development department principal secretary Chaitanya Prasad and EESL managing director Saurabh Kumar.
Under the MoU, EESL, in partnership with urban local bodies (ULBs) of all 38 districts, will retrofit and install approximately 3,00,000 existing conventional street lights with LEDs. Once retrofitted, these LEDs will help urban local bodies and the state and country save over 7 crore deemed units of energy annually.
The drive will lead to a reduction of over 57,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Under the drive, EESL is collaborating with 143 ULBs in 38 Bihar districts, including 12 nagar nigams, 46 nagar parishads and 85 nagar panchayats.
The procurement price of LEDs has been reduced from Rs 135/watt to Rs 85/watt because of mass procurement by EESL, making the LEDs affordable and accessible. EESL would invest in retrofitting of street lights and also bear upto 10 per cent of infrastructure development charge after which municipalities would pay EESL from the savings in energy and maintenance cost over a 7-year period.
The approach is based on the strategic analysis of challenges to introduction of future-ready solutions and mitigation of hurdles, with focus on long-term development.
EESL aims at creating market innovations through solutions-driven approach and novel business model of zero-subsidy, zero-capex and pay-as-you-save.
EESL also undertakes social audits in all states post completion of the project.
EESL procurements conform to BIS specification and carry a 7-year warranty against technical defects. EESL conducts appropriate quality checks right from the bidding stage to the field level.
