News
Power cuts certain as it stands- CEBEU
Crisis management committee has not met for three months
By Ifham Nizam
The Country would experience rotational power cuts due to the negligence of some top officials of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the powerful Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) warned yesterday.
A senior Electrical Engineer and one time President of CEBEU told The Island that masses would experience more power cuts unless immediate action was taken.
“The Power Crisis Committee Meeting has not been held for three months by the CEB General Manager M.R. Ranatunga despite our warnings,” a committee member of the CEBEU said.
The power shortage would be due to shortage in the installed power generating capacity to meet the forecasted demand and also due to a possible fuel shortage affecting power generation, they said.
“Despite repeated warnings by the CEBEU as a Trade Union and our members in their official capacities, CEB Chairman and outgoing General Manager Eng. M.R. Ranatunga had not taken any steps to plan and prepare for such an eventuality. Despite repeated requests, no “Power Crisis Meetings”, a regular meeting convened by all past GMs to identify impending power shortages and to make any adjustments early, has not been held during the term of present GM,” a senior engineer said.
CEBEU also said it was critically important for all authorities to identify at least now itself why there was a severe project implementation delay in the country and address the Causes of such Problems (to eliminate the Problem) instead of blaming the Effects/Results of the problem.
“We wish to caution authorities not to allow a crisis to take place and thereafter resort to very expensive short-term solutions such as supplementary power (popularly referred to as emergency power) purchasing to overcome only the effects of the problem,” the Union added.
Non-implementation or the delaying of scheduled power plants and the cancellation of finalised power plants had resulted in the imminent crisis, the union said. Withholding 150MW ground mounted solar tender by the State Ministry of Renewable Energy Projects Development for more than 15 months and inexcusable dragging of already finalized 350 MW CCY power plant at Kerawalapitiya (Sobadhavi) are some examples of the most recent root causes which are to be readily attended as long-term solutions, the union said, adding that the authorities should conserve fuel for power generation by taking measures to cut down fuel on transport use by resorting to innovative measures such as encouraging and facilitating work from home arrangements immediately.
The Union also pointed out that all authorities should follow the Sri Lanka National Energy Policy recommendations, which were published in 2019 and well before the COVID Pandemic.
“We urge authorities to run this country based on such long-term policies and actions already identified instead of managing from crisis to crisis basis,” the Union added.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
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