Syllabus

GS-3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc. 

Context: 

Recently, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power released the State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2024.

Key Highlights of the Report

States were categorised into four groups based on total final energy consumption.

• Maharashtra topped the list in Group 1 (>15 million tonnes of oil equivalent)
• Andhra Pradesh topped the list in Group 2 (5-15 million tonnes of oil equivalent)
• Assam topped the list in Group 3 (1-5 million tonnes of oil equivalent)
• Tripura topped the list in Group 4 (<1 million tonnes of oil equivalent)

Front Runner Group: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.

Achiever Group: Assam and Kerala.

Contender Group: Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha along with Uttar Pradesh 

The Index notes that 24 states have notified the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017, 31 states have adopted electric mobility policies, and 13 states have promoted solar-powered agricultural pumps. 

Kerala achieved the highest adoption of energy-efficient pumps at 74%. 

All 36 states and UTs have now developed State Energy Efficiency Action Plans, while 31 have formed state-level steering committees on energy transition.

About the SEEI 

• The index assesses the energy efficiency performance of 36 States and Union Territories (UTs) for FY 2023-24, supporting data-driven monitoring, best practice sharing, and healthy competition among states.
• It is developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency in collaboration with the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) and the first edition was released in 2018.
• SEEI 2024 serves as a key policy tool for guiding state-level actions and accelerating India’s energy efficiency and climate goals.
• The sixth edition of 2024, features a new implementation-focused framework with 66 indicators covering Buildings, Industry, Municipal Services, Transport, Agriculture, DISCOMs, and Cross-Sector initiatives, reflecting evolving priorities like EV policies, star-rated buildings, and DSM strategies.

States are classified into four performance categories:

• Front Runners (>60%)
• Achievers (50-60%)
• Contenders (30-50%)
• Aspirants (<30%)

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

• The Government of India constituted the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on 1st March 2002 under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. 
• BEE's mission is to promote policies and strategies to reduce India's energy intensity, guided by self-regulation, market principles, and the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• This will be achieved with the active participation of all stakeholders, resulting in accelerated and sustained adoption of energy efficiency in all sectors.

Sources:

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2161803 https://ddnews.gov.in/en/maharashtra-andhra-pradesh-assam-tripura-top-performers-in-state-energy-efficiency-index-2024/ https://www.beeindia.gov.in/about.php