CBSL to pay for two coal ships docked at port

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has agreed to pay for ships carrying coal. which are currently docked at the port.

A senior official of the Ceylon Electricity Board stated that the Central Bank has informed that it will provide the required dollars for the ships.

The official further stated that as soon as the money is received, the consignments of coal on the ships will be unloaded.

He said that the coal from the two ships could be used to generate electricity through the Norochcholai power plant until next October.

However, in the face of the current crisis, the official said that there is a risk that the current daily power cuts will continue if the ships' coal is not made available.

Electricity Trade Unions have revealed that two ships carrying 120,000 tons of coal have been anchored in Sri Lankan waters for the past few days.

Anil Ranjith Induwara, President of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers' Association said that if the country lost the stocks of coal contained in the ships, there is a risk that one generator at the Norochcholai coal power plant shutting down for about a month and a half.

He stated that there is also a risk of the two ships being diverted if the coal stock was not released before tomorrow.