CEB responsible for present power crisis, says expert

By Ifham Nizam

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) could have added 300MW of cheap hydro power by 2022 if it had not blocked the hydro projects development in 2016, a renewable energy expert said on condition of anonymity yesterday.

He told The Island that the CEB was now talking about daily losses of Rs. 500 million and pushing for a tariff hike. “Hydo power is cheap and if those projects had been implemented, they would have lessened our dependence on costly thermal power generation.”

If the CEB had allowed solar to develop under a feed-in tariff, Sri Lanka could have easily harnessed 1000MW in the last couple of years. Thus, avoiding use of expensive thermal power, another expert said.

“Despite deliberate obstructions by the bureaucratic mafia, during the last three years, roof top solar developed at a very fast pace under Soorya Balasnagramya surpassing all targets since there was a decent published tariff, and the same way the wind projects also could have been developed by many if opportunity was given.”

Replacement through fossil fuel powered plants are expensive and exerts vast pressure on foreign exchange and liquidity of both CEB and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEPETCO), the expert said.

“CEB engineering mafia should take responsibility for their wrong decisions that led to this situation.

“The CEB also did not issue any letter of intents for small hydro power projects after 2014 despite recommendations by the electricity sector regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.

“Locally produced energy with no foreign exchange pressure on generation was ignored by the CEB.”