LAHORE Six companies on Friday participated in opening bidding for purchase of 10 million compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) under a project funded by ADB. According to the PEPCO, M/sYang Zhou has given $16,200,000 bid, M/s Philips Electronics $16,500,000, M/s CE Lighting $17,000,000, M/s Zhejiang $18,500,000, M/s Beauty Shadow $16,000,000 and M/s GE Lighting $17,200,000. The PEPCO said that the bids given by the companies would be finalised by the Evaluation Committee. According to the details of the CFLs project, the National CFL Programme aims at replacement of 30 million incandescent bulbs in domestic sector with high quality CFLs, which would be given to eight DISCOs & KESC. The PEPCO said that the project envisaged purchase of 30m CFLs under ADB Tranche-1 of Energy Efficiency Program funded by ADB and AFD of France for $40 million and $25 million respectively for all the DISCOs and KESC. The loan would be extended to the government which would bear the cost of CFLs, added the PEPCO. PEPCO will purchase the CFLs in bulk (in two rounds of 10m and 20m) on behalf of the government and will distribute CFLs among domestic consumers through all the DISCOs and KESC free of cost in exchange for 40-100 watt incandescent bulbs. The distribution cost will be borne by the DISCOs and KESC using their own resources. The PEPCO held that the project would help in reducing peak demand by over 1,000MW, in avoiding generation of 1600MW ($1.84 billion) and a saving of about 2,000 million units of energy equivalent to Rs17.5 billion. It will also help in saving of lifeline subsidy by $ 60 million per year. The project will yield Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) revenues of about $32 million by 2018. It will also help in reducing consumers bills by Rs 300 per bulb per annum. The electricity saved can be sold to higher tariff consumers, generating additional revenues of approx $ 29 million per year for DISCOs. It was said that the government led free distribution CFLs program had been executed in many countries of the world including Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, USA and Cuba. According to the company, out of 10 million CFLs, the FESCO would be provided 1.4 million, GEPCO would be given 1.2 million, HESCO 0.7 million, IESCO one million, KESC 0.9 million, LESCO 1.4 million, MEPCO 1.9 million, PESCO 1.3 million and QESCO would be handed over 0.2 millions lamps. It would reduce emission of Carbon Di-Oxide.