Use electricity sparingly: CEB

29 August 2011 05:00 pm Views - 4771

While the worst power crisis in history is looming, the Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka today appealed to all electricity consumers to brace for the challenge and use electricity sparingly.

Minister Ranawaka said the failure of the south-west monsoon this year has created a grave situation in hydro power generation as there was no rain in catchment areas with reservoirs drying to the bottom.  

“The other contributory factor that created this situation was the failure of previous regimes to carry out a sustainable power generation policy. Despite the demand for power being increased between around at10% annually, the governments before 2005 had no plan to increase the power generation capacity at least by a single Megawatt. The nation is taking the brunt of the negative outcome of their shortsightedness today,” Minister Ranawaka stressed.

He said if it had not been for the Kerawalapitiya and Norochcholai power plants commissioned under this government the country would have been experiencing long power cuts by now.

Minister Ranawaka pointed out that with the heavy rains at the end of last year and beginning of this year, nearly two thirds of the total power generation was met by hydro power. For instance hydro power generation stood at 82% in December 2010 and 70% in January and February this year, in total power generation keeping the costly thermal power utilisation to a minimum. (Sandun A. Jayasekera)