The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka says there is no need to impose power cuts from today till the 27th of January as there are sufficient stocks of fuel to generate electricity.
The Commission said it will reconsider a proposal by the Ceylon Electricity Board to impose power cuts on the 27th.
Issuing a statement Chairman of the Commission Janaka Ratnayake said the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has been requested to provide information on existing stocks of fuel and the dates of distribution to power plants.
Ratnayake said Sri Lanka is expected to receive a stock of crude oil by the end of January, following which power plants that generate electricity by furnace and naphtha fuel will also receive the required stocks.
He added the 3rd unit of the Norochcholai Power Plant that is currently under renovation is scheduled to be added to the national grid by the end of this month.
Accordingly, the Public Utilities Commission is confident that an uninterrupted supply of electricity can be ensured.
The Chairman also stated that discussions were held with the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on seeking ways to source foreign exchange required for the importation of coal and other fuels, and expressed hope that this matter too will be resolved in the future.
Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has recommended a number of short and medium term solutions to the power crisis.
Among the short term proposals is reducing the demand for electricity through an accelerated power conservation programme with the support of electricity consumers. In addition, steps have already been taken to make effective use of state-owned and private sector generators as a medium-term solution.
The PUCSL said various companies use generators with a capacity of more than 3000MW and in the event of such power shortages, a method will be introduced to provide efficient power generation from such generators.
The possibility of connecting such generators to the national grid in the future is being studied.
The Public Utilities Commission also recommended that solar and wind power systems be installed at the earliest.
