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CEB sceptical LECO loan would help in present crisis

22 Feb 2022

 
  • Power cuts today; PUCSL greenlights CEB request 
  • Power cuts to be between 4.30 and 10.30 p.m. over lack of fuel to generate 541 MW
  • Fuel shortages experienced yesterday
  BY Pamodi Waravita A loan of Rs. 250 million provided by Lanka Electricity Company (Pvt.) Ltd. (LECO) to the cash-strapped Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is unlikely to provide any significant relief to the CEB, due to the extent of the fuel crisis in the country, The Morning learnt.  The PUCSL last week held consultations on the CEB’s ability to make payments and facilitated a short-term loan of Rs. 250 million from the profit-making utility provider LECO in order to purchase fuel from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).  However, senior CEB officials told The Morning yesterday that while the loan was most likely received by the CEB, the CEB officials were sceptical of how far the loan could help, considering the fuel crisis in the country.  Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) said yesterday (21) that the CEB’s request for a power outage today (22) has been granted, and that power cuts will accordingly take place between 4.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. today.  “The CEB has requested for power shedding tomorrow due to the unavailability of fuel to generate 541 megawatts (MW) of power. Thus, the power cuts will occur for two hours between 4.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. for Groups A, B, and C while power cuts for Groups P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W will occur for three hours,” PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said in a media statement issued last evening. The areas which fall under each group and the full power outage schedule are available on the pucsl.gov.lk website.  Last week, the PUCSL informed that an uninterrupted power supply is possible if, as they have directed, certain conservation initiatives are followed, and thus turned down a request from the CEB to initiate a three-month-long power cut schedule. However, last Friday (18), the PUCSL announced scheduled power outages for the day.  When The Morning questioned the CEB yesterday whether another request has been made from the PUCSL to release a long-term power outage schedule, senior officials at the CEB said that the power generation capability is due to be assessed every day before the power cut schedule for the day is announced.  “We will send our power report to the PUCSL every morning and they will assess and give us permission for a scheduled power outage, if they deem such necessary,” a senior CEB official told The Morning yesterday.  Ratnayake announced on Sunday (20) night that one-hour rotational power cuts were scheduled to be imposed between 8.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. yesterday in all areas except for the Southern Province and that three-hour power cuts were scheduled to be imposed in the Southern Province between 8.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. However, last morning, Ratnayake said that it has directed the CEB to change the schedule in order to facilitate the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A/L) examination. Thus, two-hour power interruptions were announced between 4.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. for yesterday.  Speaking to The Morning yesterday, Ratnayake confirmed that daily outages will be announced based on daily assessments. “We need to go day by day,” he said.  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 due to the US dollar crisis. The Sunday Morning reported that the PUCSL held consultations on the CEB’s ability to make payments and facilitated a short-term loan of Rs. 250 million from the profit-making utility provider LECO in order to purchase fuel from the CPC. Senior CEB officials told The Morning yesterday that the loan was most likely received by the CEB, although they were sceptical of how far the loan could help, considering the fuel crisis in the country.  According to the CEB’s situation report yesterday, the national grid faced a deficit of 171 MW due to the lack of fuel as the Kelanitissa Power Station Generator Seven (and other small generators) were unavailable yesterday due to a lack of fuel. Furthermore, the report noted that although 1,140 metric tonnes (MT) of furnace oil were required yesterday, only 891 MT were available. Whilst 950 MT of naphtha were required yesterday, only 557 MT were available. Similarly, whilst 2,540 MT of diesel were required yesterday, only 1,650 MT were available.  On Sunday, the national grid faced a deficit of 563 MW as the Kelanitissa Power Station Generator Seven (and other small generators), the West Coast Power Plant, and the Sapugaskanda A and B Power Plants were unavailable yesterday due to a lack of fuel. However, the Sapugaskanda A and B Power Plants received fuel late in the day on Sunday.  


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