News
Dullas: Fossil fuel plants burning Lanka’s foreign earnings
By Ifham Nizam
Sri Lankan diesel and furnace oil plants released over 13 million kilograms of carbon on Wednesday (31) alone to generate 15.3 gigawatt hours, Minister of Power Dullas Alahaperuma said yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Deduru Oya Power Plant in Kurunegala.
Minister Alahaperuma said that the country spent a lot of money on fossil fuels and it was important to increase the output from renewable energy.
“The annual expenditure on fuel is equivalent to the annual remittances from our migrant workers. We must put a stop to this. Then only can we rebuild the economy and the environment. We are determined to reduce electricity generation from diesel and furnace oil to five percent by 2025 and to one per cent by 2030.”
Minister Alahaperuma said the designs and construction of the Deduru Oya Power Plant had been done by local engineers. The power plant is expected to add 4.8 gigawatts per year to the national grid.
Alahapperuma said that it had been planned to add 600 megawatts of solar power to the national grid through, 7000 power plants to be constructed within a few years.
State Minister, BM Herath, MPs Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Manjula Dissanayake, SB Dissanayake, Engineer Vijitha Herath, Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board, Nandika Pathirage, Chairman of Lanka Energies, and officials from the Ministry of Power and Ministry of Renewable Energy, were also present on the occasion.
News
Establishment of an Institutional Framework to Inagurate Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority
Policy approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 08.06.2026 to establish the Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority for identification and
execution of a formal and long – lasting remedy to secure the central hills including the upper hydro catchment areas enabling them to sustain amidst extreme weather conditions
due to natural calamities and human activities as well as to be used for the sustainable development of the country.
Accordingly, a concept paper has been prepared including
institutional structure, activities, powers, active subject area as well as administrative and coordination mechanism for the proposed authority by an expert technical committee appointed by the Secretary to the President.
Based on the said concept paper, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the President to instruct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill including legal provisions required for the establishment of Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority.
News
Introduction of Flora and Fauna (Regulation of actions of the Indigenous Community within the nominated areas) Regulations
With the objective of securing the traditional livelihood and the eco system of the indigenous community, it has been recognized the necessity of introducing a formal regulation methodology to secure their engagement in livelihood activities by being more sensitive to the existing laws.
Thereby, the Fauna and Flora (regularizing) regulations under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (Authority 469) have been prepared so that nominated activities within the prescribed area to a member of the indigenous community
who has been registered for securing the rights acquired from law or custom or usage or traditional stance to execute an act within a certain state land that is fundamental to the survival of the indigenous community permission can be granted
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Environment to publish the said regulations in the government gazette notification and thereby submit to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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M. M. D. J. Senarathne, appointed Director General of the Department of National Botanical Gardens
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Environment to appoint M. M. D. J. Senarathne, who is the senior most officer in Grade I of Sri Lanka Scientific Service se
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