Increasing energy efficiency will reduce the operational costs of a drinking water operator and improve optimally supply to customers. Energy efficiency is measured based on specific energy consumption (SEC), which is the amount of power (kWh) required to supply every 1000 m3 of water. Unfortunately, PERUMDA Air Minum Kabupaten Karawang noted that its energy efficiency at the beginning of 2021 scored as high as 196 KWh/1000 m3.
“We have to admit that energy efficiency has yet to be seriously addressed in many PDAMs in Indonesia,” said the Head of Karawang Branch of PERUMDA Air Minum Kabupaten Karawang, Ibu Wati. In early 2021, the USAID-SECO Partnership provided one water pump of 300 liters per second along with its accessories to PERUMDA Air Minum Kabupaten Karawang. The new pump replaced two units of existing water pump that each operated at the capacity of 150 liters per second.
The USAID-SECO partnership also assisted PERUMDA Air Minum Kabupaten Karawang in installing, operating, and maintaining the pump and its accessories. The assistance included support for developing a Detailed Engineering Design (DED) of the new pump, carrying out the installation of the pump and its accessories, and performing post-construction monitoring.
In July 2021, the SEC rate of PERUMDA Air Minum Karawang fell to154.4 kwh/1000m3 as soon as the new pump had been installed. The number dropped further to 123.2 kWh/1000m3 in September 2021, resulting in an overall improvement of 37.2% in energy efficiency from baseline. This achievement has exceeded the target of 15% improvement in energy efficiency as set by the PERUMDA and the USAID-SECO Partnership for year 2021.
“The new pump and its accessories improved our energy efficiency. We have also managed to significantly cut electricity costs,” explained Ibu Wati. She also believed that PERUMDA Air Minum Kabupaten Karawang had learned a number of important lessons from this assistance. “We learned how to choose the most efficient pump, how to properly install it, how to set and monitor the Variable Speed Drive, how to develop a DED, and how to carry out maintenance and repairs, either routine or incidental,” she added.
Equipped with these lessons, PERUMDA Air Minum Kabupaten Karawang is currently planning to procure and install a new intake pump with a capacity of 180 liters per second. The pump is planned to be procured by the district government.
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