Dhaka: Some 100 industries and shopping malls, which are regarded as large power and energy consumers, are likely to be listed by the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda) for conducting energy audit, aiming to ensure efficient use of energy by them.

According to official sources, the consumers will mainly be selected from textile, garment, fertiliser, chemical, paper, food processing, steel and rerolling mills, and cement industries for the proposed energy audit.

Some commercial ventures like Bashundhara Shopping Mall and Jamuna Future Park are going to be taken up to conduct energy audit under the Sreda Act.

"Primarily, we've already short-listed 108 consumers for energy audit. After further scrutiny, we'll finalise the list of some 100 consumers," Siddique Zobair, member of Sreda and a joint secretary at the Power Division, told UNB.

Officials said energy audit is an integral part of the Sreda Act. Now Sreda has been engaged in formulating the required regulations to enforce the law.

Siddique Zobair informed that formation of the regulations is now at the final stage and expected to be made public by the middle of the current year.

"We've already taken stakeholders' views on the proposed regulations. Now, it's at the fine-tuning stage and will go for necessary approvals of the government," he added.

Meanwhile, officials said, a group of professional "qualified energy auditors" will be awarded certificate by Sreda through examination process who will be designated to conduct energy audit as listed auditors like those working as financial auditors. Even, they can work under business firms who want to run professional energy audit firms.

Sreda has taken the move for energy audit as part of the government's core plan to ensure efficient and economic use of energy at the consumption level. The ultimate goal is to make the industries globally competitive by reducing their production cost through reducing cost of energy use.

The officials said move for energy audit has also come against the backdrop of Europe's move to enforce "carbon footprint" provision from 2018 under which consumer products will get access to its market with "concession" if they comply with the provision.

Recently, global brands H&M and foreign monitoring bodies in garment sector—Alliance and Accords—also included the “carbon footprint” in their compliance requirements. 

As result, the export industries will have to ultimately go for carbon footprint compliance by reducing their energy use, said another Sreda official.

Officials said under the energy audit law the large consumers will be initially asked to conduct their energy audit by a listed auditor. Upon the audit findings and recommendations, the consumer will be asked to take necessary measures to ensure efficient and economic use of energy.

This will be applicable in all three cases of energy consumption —power, gas and liquid energy, said the officials.         

"But Sreda will support the consumer by providing technical support as well as financial support by arranging soft loan at only at 4 percent interest to implement scheme for bringing efficiency in energy consumption," said Sreda member Zobair.