By Chaturanga Samarawickrama

There is a move  to reduce  power shedding hours by at least two hours with the availability  of sufficient diesel and furnace oil until it rains sufficiently, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Rathnayaka said.

He said within two or three days, the country will receive adequate fuel for power generation.
“We have received 30,000 tonnes of furnace oil shipment today and the unloading process will start by tomorrow, he said.

“We have sufficient coal in hand to operate the coal power plants. Once the adequate fuel arrives, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) would generate 2,100 MW of electricity including five GW from hydropower which is sufficient for daily usage.

“With the 900 MW from the Norochcholai power plant and another 1,200 MW from operating plants with the use of furnace oil and naptha, we can generate about 2,100 MW of electricity,” he said.

Therefore, we would be able to trim the number of power shedding hours in the future.

However, the power shedding has to be continued until the country receives adequate rainfall, the Chairman said.

• The power shedding has to be continued until the country receives adequate rainfall