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| No Power Cut |
The Government yesterday assured that there would be no power cuts but stressed on the need to increase power conservation to continue generation until the next monsoon season.
Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka told a media conference that hydropower generation had dipped to 12% resulting in the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) losing Rs. 200 million a day.
Dispelling comments that the Government was withholding water so sea planes could be landed on the reservoirs, Ranawaka insisted that this was only allowed in the Castlereigh dam where water storage has dropped to 13%.
“The fact that prolonged deforestation is causing the drought is somewhat true,” he admitted, but pointed out that it was too late for re-forestation in key catchment areas. “The main reason is that three consecutive monsoonal seasons have not brought the usual rainwater capacity resulting in water levels dropping repeatedly.”
| Need Not until power cut |
Even though some rain has been experienced Ranawaka remarked that this was in no way enough to solve the crisis since total capacity of all reservoirs was 1,250 Giga watts (GW) and rain during the last few days amounted to 300 GW.
Using official data the Minister showed that the current drought was the worst in over ten years and that rainfall has been gradually dropping in the past three decades. Correspondingly, demand has increased with electricity consumption doubling for 2012. Since the increase of fuel prices in February the cost of generating one unit of thermal electricity has hit Rs. 70 while with hydro power the same could be done for Rs. 6.50.
“A thermal unit costs ten times as much as a hydro-power unit and 80% of the CEB cost is used for thermal power. Since February overall CEB expenditure increased 60% to meet the higher prices. In the past even when water levels were higher than at present the country experienced power cuts but we have not done so. Many neighbouring South Asian countries do not have 24 hour electricity, but we continue to provide that to 92 per cent of our population.”
The Minister also made a strong appeal to the public to conserve energy as projections have shown that if the national grid can save 1.6 GW daily, the CEB can continue providing power without cuts till September when the next monsoon season begins.
He also said that the CEB was making requests for public institutions to run their generators so that the national grid can save power. Ranawaka predicted that with the completion of phase II and III of the Norochcholai power plant, which will begin in August, and once an LNG plant gets off the ground Sri Lanka’s power problems will abate by around 2015. The Sampur power plant is to be completed in 2016.
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