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PUCSL to decide on permitting ‘unlikely’ power outages

24 Jan 2022

 
  • Decision on outages for next 11 days to CEB today 
  • Lokuge claims no further outages after talks with Prez 
  • CBSL releases USD for ship carrying diesel 
  • Prez instructs Treasury to release Rs. 93 b CEB debt to CPC
  BY Pamodi Waravita  The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) said yesterday (24) that it would decide today (25) on whether it would give permission to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to go ahead with power outages, if necessary, within the next 11 days, with Power Minister Gamini Lokuge also claiming yesterday that the authorities do not expect power outages in the recent future.  “Following a discussion with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila, and the other relevant parties, we decided that we will not go for power outages yesterday. We will also not have to go for power cuts in the next few days as we have fuel now,” Lokuge told the media, following the discussion held last afternoon.  The Sapugaskanda Power Plant’s furnace oil finished last Saturday (22) evening. Gammanpila, following the discussion, said that if the ship carrying diesel stocks was released yesterday, 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 will restart their operations. He added that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) had agreed to provide the necessary US dollars to release two ships carrying diesel and petrol stocks, sufficient for the next eight and six days, respectively.  “They further agreed to open letters of credit (LCs) to import furnace oil. But even if the LCs were opened yesterday, the shipment will only reach Sri Lanka by about 7 February. However, the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery will restart its operations soon and then we will be able to provide furnace oil through the refinery – from about 2 February,” said Gammanpila.  The refinery was shut down last month, with Gammanpila stating that the USD crisis had led to a difficulty in importing crude oil to the country. However, The Sunday Morning reported last week that operations will restart at the end of this week, as crude oil stocks are expected today.  Furthermore, Gammanpila said yesterday that the President had instructed the Treasury to release the Rs. 93 billion that the CEB owes to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).  “We also agreed that the CEB should be allowed to directly receive diesel and furnace oil stocks through an Indian debt facility. Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa is already in discussions with India about this.”  Meanwhile, the PUCSL, addressing the media yesterday, said that the CEB has requested permission for power outages for the next 11 days. However, PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said that, whilst the PUCSL is due to give its decision today, it is unlikely that power outages will be needed as the political authority had provided temporary solutions to the crisis last evening.  “There are also three categories of outages that the CEB has outlined, depending on the circumstances. The first is for daily power cuts lasting an hour and 30 minutes, if there is no furnace oil in the country, and if the West Coast Power Plant is not operating. The second is for six hours long daily power cuts, if there is no diesel in the country at all. The third is for nine hours daily power cuts, if there is no diesel, no furnace oil, and less hydropower generation in the country,” said Ratnayake.  Ratnayake added that the CEB’s initial request for power outages this month was on 11 January, following which the PUCSL granted permission to go for outages as necessary on 14, 15, and 16 January. Although the CEB had requested power outages once again last week, the PUCSL has denied this request.  Ratnayake also criticised trade unions (TUs) who are “releasing power cut schedules as they wish”, adding that only the PUCSL has the authority to permit power outages and release schedules accordingly. “The PUCSL can take legal action against those who initiate outages without the PUCSL’s permission.” The CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) said on Sunday (23) that there will most likely be a one-hour power outage yesterday, while from today onwards, there will be nearly two-hour power outages during peak times (between 6.30 p.m. and 9 p.m.) around the country. They added that permission to proceed with these outages was to be requested from the PUCSL, by the CEB, yesterday.  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 yesterday 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 yesterday, 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.”

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