FE Report

The government Sunday launched a pilot project worth Tk 10.6 million for supplying compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to the consumers of the city's Mouchak and Gulbagh areas at free of cost to save electricity consumption.

The state-owned Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) started distributing CFL bulbs in Mouchak area Sunday under the project, jointly financed by the German GTZ and the DPDC.

The GTZ is providing Tk 10.1 million (100,000 euros), while the DPDC's capital is Tk 500,000 in the project, said a senior DPDC official.

A total of 23,000 CFL bulbs - 17,000 of 23 watts and 6,000 of 14 watts - will be distributed under the one-year project. Some 22,000 electronic ballasts would also be distributed among the power consumers for efficient energy use, said the official.

Local company Energypac will provide the CFL bulbs to distribute among the consumers. A deal between Energypac and the DPDC has been signed in this connection.

The pilot project will help the government launch a nationwide programme to distribute 26.50 million CFL bulbs free of cost for saving around 300 megawatts (mw) of electricity, said a senior power ministry official.

Under the programme, each of the household in rural and urban areas will get two CFL bulbs free.

As per the plan, 10.50 million energy-saving CFL bulbs will be distributed in a single day in February 2010 before the onset of power-guzzling irrigation season.

In the second phase, another 16 million CFL bulbs will be distributed to the households.

The state-owned Rural Electrification Board (REB) will implement the project, named Efficient Lighting Initiative for Bangladesh, as lead agency. Around Tk 3.0 billion would be required to implement the project, where the World Bank will provide financial assistance.

Once implemented, Bangladesh can claim a handsome amount of funds from the developed countries on account of carbon credits.