By Rashida Rehmanjee  

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) on Friday approved the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to add a generation capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) in the southern area on a short-term basis for six months, commencing from August 18, 2023.  

The PUCSL said the approval was granted under the condition that the added supply would operate on a merit order basis and that the transmission license shall demonstrate that the power plants are operated through an independent dispatch audit at the end of the Power Purchase Agreement period.  

It was also stated that the procurement of the supplementary power shall be done on the least costly basis.  
“The decision to move forward with the approval was made considering that the Cabinet of Ministers had declared an emergency about the decision to release water from Samanalawewa Power Plant for irrigation purposes of downstream cultivations and to procure 100MW of supplementary power by August 15, 2023, for a period of 4 to 6 months to avoid planned power shedding at the Cabinet meeting held on 07th August 2023.  

According to the Meteorology Department, significant rainfall can be expected only from mid-October 2023, which was a factor in the decision. Additionally, with the new Polpitiya 220kV line being energised, the Mahaweli Complex can connect the 220kV network to the southern part of the grid.  

Adding supplementary power could support to reduce the hydro dispatch during the year and facilitate building sufficient hydro storage as initial storage in 2024,” the statement said.