Which Bureau of Energy Efficiency tube ice plant report saves the most in Bhimavaram: 10, 15 or 20 tonnes a day?

Three Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Bhimavaram reports cost rupees (Rs) 12.10, 15.12 and 17.15 lakh and pay back in 2.46, 2.39 and 2.39 years. Each saves 45 to 47 kilowatt hours (kWh) a tonne against block ice, but only on the ice the unit makes today.

The three reports

• 10 tonnes a day: replaces a block plant of 36 tonnes a day capacity running at 22% load, 2,800 tonnes of ice a year at 120.71 kWh a tonne. The tube plant needs 73.88. Saves 131,111 kWh, Rs 4.92 lakh a year, for Rs 12.10 lakh. Report carbon dioxide (CO2): 106 tonnes.
• 15 tonnes a day: replaces a 30 tonne plant at 34% load, 3,600 tonnes a year at 120 kWh a tonne. Tube plant 73.16. Saves 168,606 kWh, Rs 6.32 lakh, for Rs 15.12 lakh. Report CO2: 136 tonnes.
• 20 tonnes a day: replaces a 40 tonne plant at 30% load, 4,300 tonnes a year at 115 kWh a tonne. Tube plant 70.42. Saves 191,689 kWh, Rs 7.19 lakh, for Rs 17.15 lakh. Report CO2: 155 tonnes.
• All three price power at Rs 3.75 a kWh, run 350 days a year and take 8 weeks from order to running.

What changes with size

Price per tonne a day of capacity falls: Rs 1.21 lakh, Rs 1.01 lakh and Rs 0.86 lakh. Savings per tonne of ice barely move: 46.83, 46.84 and 44.58 kWh. So payback sits near 2.4 years in all three, and the size you pick should follow your ice demand, not the payback.

The savings are worked on today's output, but the new plants are sized for more. At the 85% load the 15 and 20 tonne annexures assume, they would make 4,463 and 5,950 tonnes a year. At 85% the 15 tonne plant would use about 326,500 kWh for 4,463 tonnes, against 432,000 kWh for 3,600 tonnes now.

A line that does not match the tables

Section 2.3 of the 15 tonne report says the plant will have the same production capacity as the existing ice plant of 12 tonnes a day, and the 20 tonne report says 16. Annexure 2 in each lists the existing plant as 30 and 40 tonnes of installed capacity at low load, making about 3,600 and 4,300 tonnes a year. Neither 12 nor 16 tonnes a day matches that output or the installed capacity. Treat the annexure as the basis of the saving, and measure your own kWh per tonne before you size anything.

Before you choose

1. Log kWh and tonnes of ice for three months to get your own figure, not the 115 to 120 the reports assume.
2. Check that your buyers will take tube ice; the reports note crushed block ice cools fish faster, while tube ice packs more cooling into a box.
3. Ask the maker to put kWh per tonne in writing at your condensing conditions.

What each report's saving is worth in carbon dioxide (estimate)

• 10 tonnes a day: 131,111 kWh x 0.675 = 88.5 tonnes of CO2 a year; report says 106
• 15 tonnes a day: 168,606 kWh x 0.675 = 113.8 tonnes; report says 136
• 20 tonnes a day: 191,689 kWh x 0.675 = 129.4 tonnes; report says 155
• The reports' figures imply about 0.81 kilograms of CO2 a kWh, higher than today's factor

Grid factor 0.675 kilograms of CO2 a kWh is the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) financial year 2025-26 figure, an estimate.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads electricity bills and fuel invoices into monthly kWh, so a plant's before and after months sit side by side. The bill shows the whole site, so tonnes of ice from your own log are what turn it into kWh per tonne.

• Green loan readiness check
• Tube ice against block ice: 10 tonnes a day
• Electricity per tonne of ice in Bhimavaram
• Drive on an ice plant compressor

Sources: BEE, Detailed project report: tube ice plant 10 tonnes a day, Bhimavaram (SAMEEEKSHA), BEE, Detailed project report: tube ice plant 15 tonnes a day, Bhimavaram (SAMEEEKSHA), BEE, Detailed project report: tube ice plant 20 tonnes a day, Bhimavaram (SAMEEEKSHA), CEA, CO2 Baseline Database for the Indian Power Sector

Last reviewed 2026-11-04. Report figures are from BEE's Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) programme project reports; costs, tariffs and paybacks are at the report year's prices. Check today's prices and a current quote before you rely on the payback.