Awareness workshop (webinar) on Japanese Low Carbon Technology (Steam Management System) in India

On 8 January 2021, the Kansai Research Centre of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) held an online awareness workshop about Japanese Low Carbon Technology (LCT), in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India. This workshop was held as part of activities of the Japan-India Technology Matchmaking Platform (JITMAP), launched in 2016 with the support of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ), and dedicated to promoting Indian manufacturing companies' understanding of Japanese energy-efficient technology, namely steam management systems. JITMAP is a platform which aims to boost the transfer and diffusion of LCT from Japan to India, and is jointly managed by IGES and TERI.

This recent workshop was held in cooperation with the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) and the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA). A total of 121 people participated, including from 1) companies which are mainly Designated Consumers (DC) under the scheme of Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) in the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in the Ministry of Power; 2) other steam-intensive companies in industrial fields such as oil refineries, electricity, gas, chemicals, textiles and paper manufacturing; and 3) private consultants, etc.

In the opening session, Mr. Milind Deore of BEE and Mr. Rajesh Kansara of GEDA provided remarks. They emphasized that micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as large enterprises, need to introduce energy-efficient technologies because further improvement of energy efficiency is an urgent and important issue. Furthermore, they mentioned that they welcome and appreciate JITMAP's activities to support energy-saving efforts among SMEs and energy-intensive companies.

In the technical session, Mr. Takaharu Nakashima, an expert in steam management systems from TLV International, Inc. (TLV) and Mr. Peush Jaitly of TLV PTE LTD, introduced the technology and benefits of the service. Mr. Jaitly gave an overview of TLV and introduced its products and steam system optimization program (SSOP), benefitting not only energy efficiency, but also safety, reliability, and profitability, etc. He continuously suggested that those advantages and a solution-based approach could assist Indian companies. Mr. Nakashima used the case study of a steam management system optimization project carried out by an oil refining company in Japan (Hokkaido), and concretely explained about the characteristics of the technology and its effects on reducing steam, thereby deepening participants' understanding of this steam management system. Moreover, as a JITMAP activity, Mr. Nakashima spoke about a preliminary energy audit conducted at an Indian oil refinery company and the steam reduction effects due to introducing a steam management system. In addition, some examples of other industrial sectors where introduction of the technology is recommended, such as corrugated cardboard, tires, food, pharmaceuticals, and textiles, among others, were explained.

Next, from the perspective of using steam in India, Mr. H. S. Karangale of the Indian Chemical Council, an organization of chemical-related companies, described the organization's establishment, organizational structure (headquarters and 4 regional centers), and outlined activities such as trainings and publishing for chemical manufacturing companies. In addition, Mr. Suresh Kalla of UPL Limited, as a representative of chemical companies, explained that the company has set up a new department to improve energy efficiency, focusing on steam management, and introduced steps taken, such as using traps against steam leakage.

After the workshop TLV responded to questions about its presentation, and followed up with companies that were interested in the technology and technical services in order to promote the transfer of the technology.