PM appoints a committee to evaluate long term power generation plan of PUCSL

COLOMBO (News 1^st) - Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a committee to evaluate the Long Term Generation Expansion plan put forward by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL). The Daily FT reports that following talks between different stakeholders both at the Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s office, to end the tug of war between the Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) regarding the 20-year Long-Term Generation Plan submitted by the latter in 2017, the prime minister has appointed a six-member team headed by National Policies and Economic Affairs Ministry Secretary K.D.S. Ruwanchandra. The mandate of the Committee is to evaluate and make fresh recommendations on the generation plan submitted last year. The CEB's plan was rejected by the regulator last year and an alternative plan sans coal also submitted by the CEB was approved by the PUCSL following public consultations. According to the paper, the committee appointed by the Prime Minister includes Power and Renewable Energy Secretary Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda, Petroleum Resources Development Secretary Upali Marasignghe, Treasury Deputy Secretary A.R. Deshapriya, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering University of Peradeniya Prof. Kithsiri Liyanage and the Additional Secretary at the Prime Minister’s office Saman P. Waduge. According to the Daily FT report the team has been tasked with providing recommendations within a month. The public utilites commission an independent commission tasked with regulating public utilities had requested the CEB to amend the generation expansion plan taking into consideration environmental and cost concerns with regard to coal power plants. There have been numerous substantiated reports of the environmental damage caused by thermal power plants including the Norochcholai coal power plant. The Coalition Against Coal, says the Norochcholai plant does not have a valid ‘scheduled waste management licence’ as required by law for a facility that generates hazardous matter. The movement notes that the environmental protection license (EPL) issued to the power plant has expired on 30th June 2017 and that the power plant is now operating without a valid EPL. It adds that 74 shallow wells and 8 deep wells have been constructed in the facility premises without necessary approval from the water resources board.