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PUCSL appoints 2 committees to monitor CEB’s power conservation

17 Feb 2022

BY Pamodi Waravita  The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has appointed two committees in order to ensure that the conservation initiatives it has proposed are being followed by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), in a bid to ensure an uninterrupted power supply during the next three months.  “Two committees have been appointed to monitor energy conservation and to get the private generators of bulk suppliers connected to the national grid. The committees will be represented by PUCSL officials and their CEB counterparts,” PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake told The Morning yesterday (16).  On Tuesday (15), the PUCSL informed that an uninterrupted power supply is possible if, as they have directed, certain conservation initiatives are followed. The initiatives include that standby generators of bulk-supply consumers be operational for specific periods of time; that all apartment buildings use their private generators for the operation of air conditioners (ACs) between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.; and that all public institutions decrease their daily electricity consumption by 80%. A letter sent by the PUCSL to the CEB on Tuesday shows that it has directed the CEB to strictly monitor and co-ordinate the use of air conditioners in apartment buildings and public institutions through the use of distribution licences.  On Tuesday, Ratnayake also noted that the conservation efforts would only aid in an uninterrupted power supply till April if fuel is supplied as planned and there are no sudden breakdowns of any power plants, and if the CEB is able to reduce hydropower generation by 50% over the next three months – until the rains come. Sri Lanka has been amidst a power shortfall since the beginning of the year, propagated by the breakdown of Unit Three of the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, declining water reserves for the generation of electricity through hydropower, and the shortage of fuel in the country due to the US dollar crisis. Although the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) agreed to supply fuel to the CEB for payment on delivery earlier this month, the CPC has also requested that the Government raise fuel prices. Commenting on the fuel shortages faced by the CEB, Ratnayake said that following discussions, both Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) had agreed to help the CEB to directly purchase fuel, instead of from the CPC, within the next 15 days. “Gammanpila will help the CEB store and transport fuel whilst the CBSL will provide the necessary dollars if the CEB pays it in rupees. We hope to import the fuel needed for the next month, within the next 15 days (30,000 metric tonnes [MT] of diesel and 20,000 MT of naphtha). This will help us solve the issue of having to check whether we have enough fuel every morning,” added Ratnayake.


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