- Kelanitissa CCPS – which generates 165 MW – also offline for maintenance
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) yesterday (19) stated that it would take a minimum of 14 days to repair the Unit 2 generator of the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai, which broke down, resulting in the loss of 300 Megawatt (MW) of generation capacity to feed the national grid.
The Norochcholai coal power plant – built by a Chinese State-owned firm – has been in the spotlight for numerous controversies, including multiple breakdowns and several all-island power outages. The Government is yet to publicise two inquiry reports, including one by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) into a November 2021 islandwide power outage which was caused by a failure at the Norochcholai power plant.
Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (19), CEB Chairman Nalinda Ilangakoon said that it would have no impact on national electricity generation since hydropower electricity production had gone up as a result of ongoing heavy showers.
According to the statement issued by the CEB last week, the high-pressure heater system of the generating unit had malfunctioned. The CEB said the power plant’s employees had already initiated preliminary measures to restore the out-of-order generating unit. The statement further stated that Unit 3 of the Norochcholai power plant – which remained deactivated since June 2023 – had completed the scheduled major overhaul maintenance work and was now undergoing a test run.
Against this backdrop, Ilangakoon told The Daily Morning that one unit which remained inoperative had been repaired by the CEB, yet it was still inoperative due to some issues identified during the first testing. He said two plants have been shut down at the moment due to this breakdown.
He further stated that electricity generation could continue uninterrupted with the support of well-operated hydropower plants.
Meanwhile, the Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Station – which generates 165 MW of electricity and operates on naphtha fuel – has been shut down for scheduled maintenance of both its gas turbine and steam turbine. This repair will also be concluded as soon as possible, said the CEB.