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Fuel shipments: 'No fuel, don’t line up’

26 Jun 2022

 
  • Govt. prioritises public transport, power generation and industries
  • Sapugaskanda Refinery temporarily shut down
  • Priority fuel for railways, CTB and private buses: Gunawardana
  The Government has prioritised fuel supply for public transport, power generation, and industries as multiple shipments of diesel, petrol, and crude oil have been delayed due to banking and logistics issues, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said yesterday (25). According to Wijesekera, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is unable to confirm the arrival dates of the planned shipments. “Limited stocks of petrol and diesel will be distributed to limited (fuel) stations throughout next week and (we) request the public not to line up for fuel,” Wijesekera tweeted. “Regret to inform that CPC has informed me that the suppliers that had confirmed petrol, diesel, and crude oil shipments to arrive earlier this week and next week have communicated the inability to fulfil the deliveries on time for banking and logistic reasons,” the Energy Minister said. Responding to a question, Minister of Transport and Highways Dr. Bandula Gunawardana said that despite the shortage, the railway service would receive the fuel needed to carry out scheduled operations. “We are also in discussions to arrange a new school bus service for the Western Province and are trying to add more Transport Board depots, while increasing their capacity to supply essential services like ambulances, private buses, and tourist vehicles,” Gunawardana said.    Sapugaskanda Refinery: To shut down again  Sri Lanka’s only oil refinery will shut down once again as it runs out of crude oil stocks to maintain operations.  Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera stated yesterday (25) that the refinery would shut down until the next shipment of crude oil was received.  Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery Operations Manager Harindra Kodagoda told The Sunday Morning that the plant would be shutting down temporarily in the coming days due to the shortage of crude oil and was awaiting the next shipment of crude oil to resume operations.  This is the third time the refinery has been shut down due to lack of crude oil over the last seven months.  The Sapugaskanda Refinery produces diesel, petrol, furnace oil, and kerosene oil through the refining process. 


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