EESL takes UJALA to UK
National, May 13, 2017: Taking forward the collaboration of UK and India in the energy & power sector, Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Power launched the affordable LED lighting scheme – UJALA scheme – in the United Kingdom. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under the administration of Ministry of Power will implement the scheme in the UK. Additionally, the Hon’ble Minister Shri Piyush Goyal also announced that EESL will invest Rs. 800 crore in the UK over a period of three years. The investment will drive various energy efficiency initiatives in the UK.
This investment furthers the cause of enhanced ‘Energy for Growth’ partnership, envisaged by the Prime Ministers of both countries Mr. Narendra Modi and Ms. Theresa May.
The announcements were made at an event chaired by Mr. Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, GoI and His Excellency Mr. Y.K. Sinha, High Commissioner of India to UK.
In the UK, EESL aims to promote and implement low-carbon, energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions in both public and private sectors. EESL is presently implementing seven energy savings contracts in the UK in the education and leisure sectors. These projects have immense potential for replicability and scalability and will add to the pipeline of projects for EESL in the country. EESL is keen to use its investment in such energy interventions to bring about a sustainable lifestyle in the UK.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister for Power said, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. An inconsequential LED bulb has brought tremendous impact for India, where lighting accounts for nearly 180 billion units of energy annually. EESL has demonstrated immense success through UJALA. The initiative has allowed each one of us to contribute to saving energy. I am confident that UJALA LED bulbs will brighten the United Kingdom, reducing electricity bills and emissions. I would urge each one of you to become the ambassadors of this revolution in energy efficiency.”
The UJALA scheme in India is the flagship scheme of EESL and the world’s largest zero-subsidy LED bulb programme for domestic consumers, acknowledged by the International Energy Agency (IEA)[1]. EESL has successfully implemented the UJALA scheme in India and distributed over 23 crore LED bulbs, impacting over 7 crore beneficiaries till date. The energy savings from the scheme alone have surpassed over 3000 crore kWh and reduced carbon emissions up to 2.43 crore tonnes[2]. The UJALA scheme is built on the concepts of monetization of energy savings and aggregation resulting in low-bulk cost making the programme the largest no-subsidy public scheme in the world. Capitalising on this strength of bulk-procurement, EESL aims to replicate this scheme through the Pay-As-You-Save model in the UK.
The company is piloting the LED programme with AmicusHorizon to develop the concept for the UK social housing sector. AmicusHorizon is one of the largest housing associations in London and owns and manages 28,000 homes in London, Kent and East Sussex.
Further, EESL has collaborated with Indian High Commission to retrofit all their lighting with LED lights in the entire building. Through this collaboration, High Commission of India, UK becomes the first Indian mission across the globe to adopt the initiative.
