German delegation visits textile mills representative body

Reviews performance of GIZ in introducing energy reforms in the sector.

LAHORE:

A German delegation comprising members from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the German Embassy, the KFW Bank of Germany and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – the German Agency for International Cooperation – visited the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association’s (Aptma) Punjab office here on Friday.

Aptma Steering Committee on Sustainable Production Center (SPC) Members Seth Muhammad Akbar, Syed Ahsan Ali and Shahid Faraz welcomed the delegation at the Aptma office.

Aptma’s Punjab Secretary Anisul Haq made a detailed presentation to the visiting delegation on Aptma and the SPC. He said the country’s image problem and the energy shortage are two major challenges faced by the textile industry in Pakistan, which has lost $10 billion in foregone opportunities in the last seven years, while regional competitors have witnessed growth during the same period.

The SPC was established in 2008, and has the potential to save Pakistan 268 megawatts of energy through the implementation of Energy Management System (EnMS). The objective of the SPC is to provide technical and management services to Aptma members on energy security, affordability, conservation, health, safety and environment, corporate social responsibility and renewable energy.

While talking about the SPC, which has been running in collaboration with the GIZ, Haq said 42 mills have so far been approached by the organisation. Aptma members are currently saving Rs395 million through EnMS projects, with an implementation cost of around Rs65 million, Haq said.

He said 90% of the member mills are keen to adopt EnMS technologies. “A majority of them want energy management training, with a lot of interest in renewable energy, which is an untapped area. The study of a project has been finalised, courtesy of GIZ,” he said. Going forward, according to Haq, Aptma would like to see specialised credit lines on energy efficiency and renewable energy for member mills.

The visiting delegation appreciated the efforts made by GIZ in helping the textile industry in energy management. It further hoped that things would be streamlined further, once the country completes the election process ahead.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2013.

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