U.S. Government Partners With Pakistanis For Energy Efficiency

Farmers to Save Rs. 660 million thanks to USAID Program
December 1, 2010

Islamabad - Over the next 16 months, farmers in Pakistan will be able to save $7.7 million (Rs. 660 million) by replacing inefficient tubewell water pumps with more energy-efficient ones. The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Electricity for Water Program, which was launched Wednesday in Punjab, will enable Pakistani farmers to save both money and electricity - about 45 megawatts annually.

The Electricity for Water Program is one of six activities under the U.S. Quick Impact Energy Program that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced last year to help alleviate Pakistan's power shortages. The agriculture sector is a major consumer of energy in Pakistan, and tubewell pumps that farmers use to irrigate their fields are responsible for a large share of peak electrical demand.

Many of the current pumps operate at only 30 percent efficiency.  USAID's program will replace as many as 11,000 of the pumps. The manufacturers of the pumps guarantee at least 20 percent energy savings.

"Through its Electricity for Water Program, USAID hopes to set an example for reduced energy consumption in agriculture," said Denise Herbol, Acting Director of USAID. "This effort will not only save energy for the country, but also decrease costs to the farmers".

To help farmers replace their pumps, USAID is subsidizing 50 percent of the cost of the new pumps. The pumps are being produced by reputable Pakistani manufacturers who will install the pumps, provide warranties, and conduct after-sales maintenance.