MERC stalls MSEDCL's Rs 175 crore project

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has disapproved the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd's (MSEDCL) proposed Rs 175 crore state-level project.

The project was for replacement of common magnetic chokes of tube lights with energy efficient electronic ballasts or chokes.

MERC has also sought details of the Nashik district pilot electronic ballast project. It has directed MSEDCL not to implement the project without its approval.

MSEDCL will submit the project to MERC in the first week of September 2006. MSEDCL claimed that 35 per cent power would be saved if common magnetic chokes were replaced with the electronic ballasts.

MSEDCL also said it would not have to invest in this project. The cost of the electronic ballasts or chokes would be deducted from the electricity bills of the consumers. But they too would not be burdened as the payment would be deducted from their power saving cost.

With an aim to reduce the peak load, the MSEDCL had decided to replace one crore common magnetic chokes of 40-watt tube lights with energy-efficient electronic ballasts worth Rs 175 crore across the state.

In the first phase, the pilot project was to be implemented in Nashik zone (which includes Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar and Ahmednagar) with replacement of 25 lakh magnetic chokes with energy efficient electronic ballasts, worth Rs. 43.75 crore.

"In case of Nashik zone and state-level electronic ballasts project, the base line data collection has not been attempted, and there is no clarity on whether or not monitoring and verification protocol forms an integral part of the project designs. The Commission thus can't allow the MSEDCL to go-ahead with the implementation of the proposed Nashik district level or the state level electronic ballasts project. The Commission therefore directs MSEDCL not to take up the implementation of the state level ballast project. The Commission further directs that the Nashik district ballast should be taken up as a pilot project only after getting a go-ahead from the Commission," states MERC's order, dated 16th August.

"As per our study and experiments, 35 per cent power can be saved if common magnetic chokes of 40 watts tube lights are replaced with the energy efficient electronic ballasts (chokes). But, MERC has disapproved the project and directed not to implement this project until it gives 'Go ahead to this project. MSEDCL is submitting the detailed project to MERC in the first week of September 2006," said Deore, chief engineer, Nashik Zone, MSEDCL.