India: Madhya Pradesh Energy Efficiency Improvement Investment Program (Facility Concept)

Energy - Electricity transmission and distribution

At present, power supply lines in rural areas supply for both agricultural pumps and other customers. This mixed rural distribution network is faced with several problems, such as over-use of subsidized electricity for agricultural water pumping leaving inadequate power supply to households, and unauthorized use of electricity causing financial losses to the DISCOMs. Ageing and overloaded distribution lines and transformers, cause excessive technical losses and poor quality of supply. To prevent the over-use of electricity by agricultural pumps and to reduce losses, the DISCOMs switch-on the distribution lines serving the rural areas only for limited hours per day. The existing mixed-feeder system does not allow 24 hour supply of power to households and business establishments, which constrains the economic growth and development in rural areas.

To promote efficient use of ground water in agriculture and improve on-farm water conservation practices, the DISCOMs supply 8-10 hours electricity on three phases in rural areas. However, this constraints economic activities and supply of 24 hours quality power to households. As such, separation of power supply lines (feeders) to agriculture and other customers is necessary to ensure 24 hour supply of power to households. Additional measures such as installation of HVDS and metering together with better system management practices are necessary to reduce the technical and commercial losses to the DISCOMs.

1. Separated power supply to agricultural pumps and households and installed high-voltage distribution system (HVDS)

2. Improved upstream 33kV systems

3. Installed meters and new household connections

4. Access to business development services improved for microenterprises headed by women

5. Built capacity of women's self help groups to provide energy-related microenterprise development services and gender sensitive user awareness and energy conservation

Implementation ongoing. MFF extended from 28 February 2015 to 28 February 2018.

Outputs of TA 7831 achieved - (i) 20,729 women trained in Integrated Enterprise Module (IEM) from 2803 self-help groups (SHGs); (ii) 506 women trained as Gender and Energy Trainers; (iii) 517 trained as Business Development Service (BDS) providers; (iv) 590 have upgraded their existing enterprises into Energy based enterprises or started new enterprise; (v) 63 women are accessing BDS services through SHG assistance; (vi) CFL bulb assembling, chemical bangle making, paper cup making and motorized pottery were some of the most popular energy based enterprises started.