MULTAN, Feb 22nd:Michael Phillip,An energy efficiency expert of USAID has said that USAID would instal 200 new egency efficient tubewells in South Punjab's 13 districts and it would upgrade 11,000 tube wells across Pakistan making them energy-efficient to consume 20 per cent less electricity than other tube wells.Of them some 1,100 tube wells would be upgraded in south Punjab. Delivering his lecture at a meeting of executive committee of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) here on Monday, which was chaired by Senior Vice-President Khawaja Muhammad Usman. While Mian Tanvir Ahmed Sheikh former president of FPCCI, Shamshad Jafri, Mazhar Hayat Khan Khakwani,Hammad Khan and Mirza Ali Ahmed also present in the meeting. Michael Phillip said tube well owners could either contact USAID directly or through MCCI to get their water lifting equipment upgraded and reduce its operational cost. He said that South Punjab has the potential to save 25 to 30 per cent of the energy used in the agriculture sector by making the existing tubewell system energy efficient. Khawaja Usman said that present regime was considering the option of improving the energy efficiency of existing tube wells through retrofitting and / or replacing the existing inefficient pumping systems with efficient equipment an replacing / supplementing existing source of power (grid electricity) for driving tube wells with renewable energy resources (solar and wind). A national Programme needs to be devised separately for both Intervention based on the technical, economic and social viability of these interventions.He told the participants that 50 percent cost of newly installed tubewell would be borne by the USAID and remaining 50 percent by the KASB bank which would be recovered in easy instalments.Usman khawaja said that

the overall objective and purpose of the study is to identify the improvement potential of pumping efficiency of the existing tube wells and the potential for supplementing conventional energy supply fur tube-wells with renewable energy pumping systems, with stakeholders' involvement The study will determine technical, financial, economic and social viability of both interventions by piloting appropriate systems, separately and In combination, for efficiency improvement and renewable energy interventions and suggest the most viable option under different conditions, it also includes formulation of the Participatory Scheme Development Process for such interventions. Khawaja Usman said that the tube well owners would not be asked to return the cost of upgrading that would result in saving 20 megawatts of electricity per annum in South Punjab alone.He disclosed that Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) had offered to provide complete funding of up to Rs250 million for any project that could benefit a larger segment of population, manufacture export-oriented products and lessen unemployment.