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PUCSL Chair ready to face Kanchana in court

28 Sep 2022

  • Stands by accusations on imported crude oil quality  
BY Safrah Fazal   Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake stated that he eagerly awaits any legal action from the Ministry of Power and Energy, or the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), in relation to his allegations on the quality of imported crude oil as, he stated the “only then will the truth surface”. Speaking to The Morning yesterday (27), Ratnayake said: “I am waiting until they sue me. I’d like to see that. Only then will the truth come to the surface, as in from where they purchased the crude oil, its quantity, composition, and the quality of its produce.” Ratnayake also charged: “Everybody, including the consultants, accept that they haven’t purchased light crude oil, and that they have instead purchased perhaps medium or heavy crude. Therefore, they are producing furnace oil with a high sulphur content.” He added that operations at the Sojitz Kelanitissa Power Station, which produces 130 MW of electricity, has come to a standstill, as the high-sulphur furnace oil cannot be used for its needs. When The Morning queried as to whether he was aware of the type of legal action that will be taken against him, he asked: “What legal action can they really take when they have ordered the wrong crude oil? They have brought down the wrong product which has led to the Sojitz Plant being shut down, as we cannot use the high-sulphur furnace oil.” Speaking further, he said: “When the matter came to the surface, he (reference to Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera) said that they are looking at value-addition. This means that they are adding diesel to the furnace oil in order to dilute the sulphur content. Here, they are adding a high-value product into a low-quality product and calling it value-addition.” As a result, there is an increase in the cost of the furnace oil that is produced, forcing the public to take the brunt of it, Ratnayake said. Attempts to contact CPC Chairman Mohamed Uvais Mohamed in this regard proved futile. Meanwhile, speaking to The Morning, Ministry sources stated that the type of “legal response” that the Ministry intends to take against Ratnayake has not been finalised yet, and that the Ministry is presently occupied with other matters of grave importance. The official added that a decision will be communicated once it is finalised. Last Monday (26), Wijesekera stated that the CPC would legally respond to the allegations made by Ratnayake with regard to the quality of the imported crude oil. Appearing at an interview on a private media channel on 25 September, Ratnayake alleged that the cause for the extension of the power cuts from one hour to two hours and 20 minutes was due to an issue with the fuel imported by the CPC. As a result, Ratnayake charged, naphtha that was produced cannot be used to run the plants due to its high sulphur content. Issuing a statement on Twitter in this regard, Wijesekera said: “The CPC has adequate stocks of diesel and fuel oil. Extended power cuts were requested by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) due to a breakdown at the Laxapana, and insufficient funds at the CEB for diesel, fuel oil and hydro management.”


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