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Will SL have US dollars for vital Norochcholai maintenance?

22 Apr 2022

 
  • CEB queries about $ 21 mn in payments for maintenance work due on Norochcholai  
  • Maintenance due in early June with Chinese help; already delayed by two years 
  • $ 21 mn needed for maintenance, payments to Chinese engineers, insurance 
  BY Pamodi Waravita  Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) officials raised concerns about the payments for the upcoming maintenance at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai, considering the current United States dollar shortage in the country.  The Morning learnt that there is a scheduled maintenance for Unit 2 of Lakvijaya, due to begin on 4 June. This is a “Class A” maintenance, which requires the assistance of China and is recommended to be done every four years. The maintenance has already been delayed by about two years, but the agreement to conduct it this year has already been drawn up. It is learnt that there is one cost of about $ 12 million for the maintenance, and another of about $ 9 million for the payment for the Chinese engineers and their insurance, totalling $ 21 million. Officials are concerned that these payments might not be met due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country, which is already affecting the electricity supply. The public experienced as much as 13 hours of power outages a day last month, as the CEB could not procure enough fuel for its thermal power stations due to the dollar shortages in the country. Hydropower generation remains minimal, as it is still the dry season and thus, the Lakvijaya Power Station adds a valuable 900 megawatts (MW) to the national grid. The CEB has scheduled the long overdue maintenance of Unit 2 of Lakvijaya for June, in anticipation of the monsoon season which would increase hydropower generation.  “The unit needs to be shut down for about 80 days for the maintenance,” the officials said. Officials added that they are concerned about the impact to the power plant if the scheduled maintenance does not go ahead, as resulting breakdowns would be more costly to fix then. Unit 3 of Lakvijaya is expected to undergo maintenance after Unit 2. Maintenance work was last done on Unit 1 in 2017.    Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said this week that the two coal shipments, which were docked in Sri Lankan waters for several days without payment, began unloading on 19 April night, thereby fulfilling the coal requirement for Lakvijaya before the monsoon season begins.  


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