News
Kerosene queues to continue until refinery fully operational
By Shiran Ranasinghe
The kerosene queues will continue until the re-opened Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery commenced operations fully, a senior Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) official said yesterday.He added that during previous weeks the CPC had released a large amount of kerosene to refuel aircraft.The official said that the chemical composition between jet fuel and kerosene was negligible.By Thursday (02) night, CPC only had 386 MT of jet fuel, he said.The official added that the kerosene consumption in the country was about 600 MT per month, but the CPC was not in a position to supply that quantity.Sri Lanka last week received a crude oil shipment and the Refinery was expected to produce large amounts of kerosene from the crude oil.
“Until Sapugaskanda is fully operational, we will continue to have kerosene queues. There were kerosene queues in urban centres and in areas where there are a lot of fishermen and in the estate sector. We understand the suffering of the people. But there is nothing we can do,” he said.
The official added that CPC had no idea how it would import fuel after the Indian credit line was exhausted.He said that there were adequate quantities of fuel to last two weeks. Although the government had planned to buy fuel through spot tenders, a lot of companies were hesitant to supply fuel due to the country’s economic woes.By 02 June, the CPC had 18,825 metric tonnes of Diesel, 42 MT of Super Diesel, 33,498 MT of 92 Octane Petrol, 13,067 MT of 95 Octane Petrol, and 386 MT of jet fuel.
However, the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery was expected to be fully functional by next week after a technical hiccup last week and that was the only silver lining for the country, he said.The CPC official said that the government should focus on importing crude oil because the refinery could produce by-products like kerosene, furnace oil and jet fuel.
According to him the Refinery needs to be provided with a continuous supply of crude oil because shutting it down and restarting the refinery is an expensive and a time-consuming endeavour.In 2021, there were those who claimed that importing diesel and petrol directly was more feasible than operating a refinery, he said. “However, we have seen the result of this. Kerosene queues are a permanent fixture of daily life. Many industries face furnace oil shortages and there is a shortage of tar. Crude oil should be at the top of the government’s import priorities,” he said.
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Heat Index at Caution Level at some places in Eastern, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala, Hambantota and Kurunegala districts
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 3.30 p.m. 02 May 2025, valid for 03 May 2025
Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Eastern, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala, Hambantota and Kurunegala districts
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
At the invitation of the President of Vietnam, Luong Cuong, President Anura Kumara Disanayake will undertake a State Visit to Vietnam from May 4 to 6. Accordingly, the President is scheduled to depart Sri Lanka tonight [May 3].
This visit marks the celebration of 55 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Vietnam and is expected to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral ties between the two nations.
During the visit, President Disanayake will hold official discussions with the President and Prime Minister of Vietnam. He is also scheduled to meet with senior dignitaries, including the General Secretary of the Communist Party.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake will also participate as the Chief Guest at the United Nations Vesak Day celebrations, scheduled to commence on May 6 in Ho Chi Minh City, where he will deliver the keynote address.
Several Memorandums of Understanding and Agreements are expected to be signed during the visit and discussions will be held with the Vietnamese business community to explore avenues for enhanced cooperation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, along with a delegation of senior government officials, will accompany President Disanayake on this official visit.
The deadline for political parties and candidates contesting the local government election to conclude their campaigning is at midnight today (03).According to election laws, all campaign related activities must end 48 hours before the day of the election, the Election Commission said.
Furthermore, all campaign offices, except for official media centres established at the local government level, and announcement offices set up for individual wards, must be dismantled after midnight today. The Election Commission also stated that all campaign decorations—except for display boards measuring up to 60 square feet—must be removed by midnight tonight.
Voting for 339 local government bodies will be held on 06 May, with 13,759 polling stations set up for the election. A total of 17,563,538 registered voters are eligible to cast their votes.
Vote counting will be conducted at a designated centre selected for each division, and will begin at 5:00pm on the same day, EC sources said.
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