Energy resources and their uses were analysed in an earlier study 'Energy utilization in Karnataka Part I : An overview'. The emphasis there was on rural and urban domestic consumption. The close link between energy resources and environment prompts us to continue our studies - this time on energy consumption patterns, especially in the organised industrial sector.

Energy planning in Karnataka is not an integrated activity. The plans for electricity, oil, coal, and firewood are separate exercises. Secondly, the planning activity considers only the demand and projects the demand over a period of years. The efficiency in utilization has scarcely been looked into. This has led to a situation where an input of about 25 units of energy is needed to get a useful output of 1 unit of energy (wasting the remaining 24 units). Even a housewife would not plan her domestic budget merely taking into consideration demands rather than the cost of meeting those demands.

A comparative study of energy use, mainly electrical in industries in Karnataka and in those of some other industrialised countries reveals that Karnataka consumes 5.47 times the energy consumed in the U.S.A. for the same GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and more than 10 times the energy used in Germany and Japan. Sectoral energy values also have been calculated.

A sectoral analysis of users shows that the growth of connected load is mainly in 2 categories-AEH (All Electric Homes) and Small Scale (LT) Industries. The growth rate is 19.46% for the former and 27.33% for the latter. If we look at the annual increases in the number of installations again the LT industries sector has a very high rate of 38.66% followed by AEH with a rate of 19.15%. More than 50% of our industries are clustered in and around Bangalore. Barring a few exceptions there is only limited industrial activity in other parts of Karnataka. Energy consumption patterns show that Bangalore uses 26.67% of HT energy. A few industries like Indian Aluminum at Belgaum, VISL at Bhadravathi etc. show higher energy consumption values for some divisions. Belgaum consumes 21.6% of total HT energy in the State.

Linkages between energy sources and impact of substitution of energy from one source by that from another can be understood only if there is an integrated picture of energy use. Since this type of information was not available this analysis is confined to utilization of energy from only one source. A survey was therefore conducted covering many industries in Karnataka. A questionnaire was prepared and sent to more than 250 industries. Replies received from about 60 industries were analysed for their energy consumptions. It was found that in many industrial sectors energy consumption/rupee of production was higher than the Indian norm. Further, energy consumption varied considerably within a group or sector indicating a distinct possibility for a substantial reduction in energy use by many industries for the same level of production.