Politics at play in power sector

There appears to be a difference in assessing the power supply between the actual supplier of electricity, CEB, PUCSL the moderator and the Ministry of Power, and we the consumers in all sectors, domestic, business and industrial, are confused as to whom we should rely on to adjust our day-to-day operations.

In a news item, Gamini Lokuge, then Minister of Power, has said, “We have a sufficient number of thermal power plants but we have a question of getting sufficient fuel stocks for the operation of all power plants.” This statement coming from a government minister should be accepted unless it is his own ill-conceived or unqualified utterance. While this is the assurance given by Minister Lokuge, the Chairman of PUCSL, Janaka Ratnayaka says, “PUCSL has given approval to impose a seven and a half hour power cut between 8.30 am and 6 pm in the morning and two and a half hour power cut from 6.00 pm to 11.00 pm in the evening.” The reason he gives is due to not having enough fuel, and there is a 700 Mw shortage. This approval for shedding power has been at the request of the CEB, the supplier, who knows its capabilities and availability of resources to supply electricity. This begs the question as to whom the CEB is responsible or answerable, the Ministry of Power or PUCSL.

As the statement of Minister Lokuge is not what the CEB had fed the PUCSL with, it would appear that the statement of Minister Lokuge is personal and should not be taken seriously, aside from the fact that he is not qualified to make such a statement. What action does the Ministry of Power contemplate against the CEB for by-passing the Ministry?

The worst confusion is that both Minister Lokuge, his Ministry of Power and the PUCSL have pointed out that the power shedding is due to lack of fuel to operate thermal generators and not the inadequacy of thermal power stations. In this regard, an expert on energy management, Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya, has in his analytic statement pointed out the inadequacy of thermal power generating plants. “Anyone can check how much of electricity production capacity Sri Lanka has by studying authentic information on the web. Sri Lanka’s electricity generating capacity and customer demand, to the closest 100 megawatt is as follows…The peak demand this year is forecast to reach 2900 megawatt. In the year 2020, the peak demand reported was 2717 megawatt. It happens in the night, around 7pm. On Monday 31 January 2022, Sri Lanka reported a peak demand of 2710 megawatt at 7pm, without load shedding. So, we are inching toward the 2900 MW peak, as temperatures rise toward 34 C (presently 32 C), and industries and hotels ramp up with more orders and guests, respectively, as we approach April.” The most damning statement he makes is, “Thus, even if all the money in the world is available to buy fuel, with no outages of any power plant, the capacity on the grid is simply not adequate to meet the customer demand. The 200-megawatt minimum shortage and the absence of 800-megawatt of new power plant can be hidden by ‘ministerial order’ or ‘regulatory commission order’, but not for long. The end is very near.”

In simple language any layman can understand, the CEB has no thermal power plant or any other to meet the ever-increasing demand and the problem will aggravate unless immediate action is taken to strengthen power generation by adding power plants. Had the then Minister of Power and Energy, under the Yahapalana government of Maithripala Sirisena, not interfered with the award of the tender for the 300 MW LNG plant at Kerawalapitiya, causing a delay of nearly four years, the position today may have been different.

If the assessment above is to become a reality, the action taken by the Ministry, the PUCSL and the CEB amounts to the Sinhala saying ‘Atheesareta Ambude Gahanawa’, wearing a diaper to stop diarrhoea.

Energy, electricity, is a vital utility for any country’s socio-economic development and should be handled with expert care, without playing POLITICAL PANDU.

G.A.D. SIRIMAL

Boralesgamuwa