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No power outages till tomorrow

26 Jan 2022

 
  • PUCSL notes fuel stocks sufficient for three days of power generation 
  • Asks CPC to inform of existing fuel stocks and dates of delivery to power plants
  BY Pamodi Waravita  The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) said yesterday (25) that there is no necessity for power outages from yesterday to tomorrow (27), as it has observed the availability of sufficient fuel stocks for the generation of electricity for the next three days.  “The PUCSL has decided to reconsider the proposal made by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) on Monday (24) on power interruption as there is no need for a power cut from today (25) to day after (27). It is observed that there are sufficient stocks of fuel to generate electricity during these three days,” PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said in a statement issued in this regard yesterday.  On Monday, the CEB requested permission from the PUCSL for power outages for 11 days. However, a high-level discussion between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Power Minister Gamini Lokuge, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila, and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and Treasury officials on Monday aimed to find solutions to the lack of fuel due to a difficulty in obtaining US dollars in the country to consistently run the fuel powered power plants in the country.  The Sapugaskanda Power Plant’s furnace oil stock finished on the evening of 22 January. However, CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) Committee Member Eranga Kudahewa told the media yesterday that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) had supplied 750 metric tonnes (MT) of fuel to Sapugaskanda and 900 MT of fuel to the Colombo Barge Mounted Power Plant on Monday night in order to ensure operations. Gammanpila, following the discussion on Monday, said that if the ship carrying diesel stocks was released, as discussed, the West Coast Power Plant (Yugadanavi) will be supplied with diesel stocks as it can run on both diesel and furnace oil, and that the Sapugaskanda Power Plant will then be supplied with furnace oil (from Yugadanavi in Kerawalapitiya), and that both will then restart their operations. He added that the CBSL had agreed to provide the necessary US dollars to release the two ships carrying diesel and petrol stocks, sufficient for the next eight and six days, respectively. Furthermore, he said that the CBSL had agreed to open letters of credit (LCs) to import furnace oil into the country.  “The CPC has been asked to provide information on the existing stocks of fuel and the dates on which they can be delivered to the power plants. Sri Lanka is expected to receive a stock of crude oil by the end of this month and after refining, the fuel will be supplied to the relevant power plants. The Commission discussed with the CBSL Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal on finding ways to provide the required foreign exchange for the importation of coal and other fuels. We hope that the foreign exchange issue will also be resolved in the future,” Ratnayake said yesterday.  He added that Unit Three of the Norochcholai coal Power Plant, which is currently undergoing renovations, is scheduled to resume power generation before the end of this month. “With that, the PUCSL is confident that there will be an uninterrupted electricity supply.” The Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, which faced a breakdown last month, is expected to restart its operations at the end of this month. Lokuge said this week that power cuts can be avoided in February once the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant restarts its operations, adding that the necessary coal stocks are expected in time. “LCs for two coal ships were opened on 24 January, each carrying 60,000 tonnes of coal. We have to open only seven LCs in February, eight in March, and seven in April in order to get the stocks adequate for the entire year.” The power crisis has been ongoing for the past month, with Lokuge and Gammanpila attempting to prioritise fuel for their respective power and energy sectors. Solutions proposed by the PUCSL include utilising privately and state institution-owned backup generators which sit idle most of the time. It has further proposed energy saving mechanisms to the public. Gammanpila stated that they have also agreed that the CEB should be allowed to directly receive diesel and furnace oil stocks through an Indian loan facility.


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