Can govt successfully enforce flawed energy conservation plan?

The federal government unveiled its energy conservation plan on Tuesday which faced a major blow yesterday as the majority of traders rejected to follow the order of early closure of markets.

The flawed energy conservation plan raised many questions as the policymakers failed to identify the real issues and their solutions amid economic and energy crises.

Instead of expediting projects of getting energy from alternative sources or renewable energy, the federal government chose to enforce an energy conservation plan, exhibiting its conventional and conservative approach.

The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the National Energy Conservation Plan, introducing certain measures to ensure judicious utilisation of national resources, including early closure of markets and restaurants and stopping unnecessary use of electric appliances in all government offices.

In a meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the cabinet decided to implement the Energy Conservation Plan across the country with immediate effect on the advice of the Power Division. The government hoped the plan would ensure saving worth hundreds of billions of rupees.

According to the energy conservation plan, restaurants, hotels, and markets would close by 8:30pm, while wedding halls by 10pm. Besides, the production of incandescent light bulbs and inefficient electricity fans would be stopped. The government also planned to levy additional duty on inefficient electric fans.

The government is eyeing to save around Rs62 billion [annually] through the early closure of markets.

Moreover, the production of inefficient electricity fans will be stopped from July 1 and additional duty will be levied on them, which will help save Rs15 billion. The manufacturing of incandescent light bulbs will also be stopped from the 1st of February. This will help save Rs22 billion.

A 30% reduction in electricity consumption at all the institutions of the federal government. The other items on the plan included less usage of streetlights, e-bikes, work from home policy and others.

Analysts said that the energy conservation plan of the federal government would not bear desired fruits due to its conventional approach. They say only in Karachi, the wholesale markets usually close at around 6 to 7 pm, whereas, the high energy consumption is witnessed at the shops of jewellers, milk shops, cloth markets and shopping malls for the whole day.

They questioned why the federal government did not think about expediting renewable energy projects including early completion of solarisation plans instead of a conservative approach. They added that the government has so far unveiled a solarisation strategy only for government buildings which would be completed by April this year. Analysts said that the enforcement of only closure orders is not the solution to all energy-related issues but a concrete plan to provide alternatives to the masses.