President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested experts in the power industry to assist in enhancing renewable energy sources to the national power grid.
The government aims to generate 70 percent of total electricity demand through renewable energy sources.
At present, 700MW of electricity can be generated through the use of solar power.
The President’s Media Division issuing a statement said according to public opinion solar power is not being utilised to its maximum owing to opposition by engineers of the Ceylon Electricity Board.
The President said such matters can be resolved, adding that the power crisis must be practically rectified.
The President yesterday engaged in discussions at the President’s House to seek solutions to existing issues in the power industry and the use of renewable energy sources to generate power.
It was revealed that a unit of electricity generated through petrol costs Rs.100 while a unit of electricity generated through coal costs more than Rs.50.
The Director-General of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Damitha Kumarasinghe who was present at the discussion said more than USD 300 billion can be saved annually through the use of renewable energy.
Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera meanwhile said a cost of more than USD 100 million monthly is incurred to generate electricity through thermal power adding that ensuring the continuous supply of electricity at current prices is a difficult task.
