CEB holds PUCSL responsible for delay in long term power generation plans

Colombo (News 1st): The Ceylon Electricity Board officially announced today (March 20) that the second generator at the Norochcholai power plant, which malfunctioned last Monday, has been repaired and restored to its previous state. The malfunction resulted in the loss of approximately 300 MW of power to the national grid and caused power outages in several areas across the country. The construction of the Norochcholai power plant was completed during the end of 2014 and with a total investment of US$ 1.45 billion. Consumers have been inconvenienced on multiple occasions when the power generators of Norochcholai power plant malfunctioned. To date, it is not the CEB but the general public who are repaying the debt obtained for the construction of this power plant. Following is a discussion between journalists and officials of the Ceylon Electricity Board,

Journalist: It is normal for a generator to break down. The failure of one generator creates a loss of 300 MW. So the failure of two generators will create a loss of 600 MW. The country will be in the dark. So there is no surplus in power generation. Tissa Jinadasa (Acting Chairman): I agree with you. We do have several shortcomings. These shortcomings cannot be addressed immediately. It has only been a month since Minister Ravi Karunanayaka was appointed to this ministry. Such shortcomings cannot be addressed within a month. Journalist: My question is not related to Minister Ravi Karunanayaka. My question to you is regarding the long term electricity generation plan that was made in 2015. What did the CEB do in this regard from 2015 to date? Sulakshana Jayawardena (Media Spokesperson): The power generation plan from 2015 to 2034 was only approved until 2020. The plan starting from 2017 was only approved after a year. There are such practical issues. Journalist: Is purchasing power and distributing it to the public the duty of the CEB? Tissa Jinadasa (Acting Chairman): No. CEB has greater responsibilities. We strive to fulfill the needs of our consumers.

Even though the acting chairman of the CEB says that the board works hard to fulfil the needs of their customers, the CEB is yet to implement the long term power generation plan, that has already obtained cabinet approval. Statistics reveal that the delay in implementing the long term power generation plan has resulted in a loss of more than Rs. 50 billion to Sri Lanka.