No USD loan, no power: Gammanpila

COLOMBO (News 1st); Daily power cuts that last about 04 hours are likely if Sri Lanka fails to secure a large USD loan at least by March 2022, says Minister of Energy, Udaya Gammanpila. 

The Minister stated that the country must be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices in this regard, now itself, and politicians should lead by making sacrifices by example. 

Minister Gammanpila also stated that Sri Lanka will have to import fuel with the existing limited foreign reserves, at least until the monsoon season begins in April.

Speaking further, he said that the country will have to generate electricity by using fuel until the monsoon season.

Given this effort to ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity 24-hours a day, about 04-hour daily power cuts will have to be implemented by March if a large loan is not secured.

"Is it not better that we implement one and a half an hour cuts from now itself rather than moving onto four-hour power cuts later on? Should we starve for 28-days after stuffing ourselves from star-class hotels for two days? Or should we rather cook the meals at home by purchasing the vegetables and fruits, which would allow us to have all three meals every day?" the Minister stated.