Power crisis could grind on with govt.’s fixation on renewable energy

Sri Lanka’s power crisis which turned from bad to worse this week could grind on for months if not years as the country’s Executive President and his government are fully fixated on their quest to make Sri Lanka a net zero carbon emitting country by 2050 through 100 percent power generated from renewable energy. 

While there is nothing wrong with the mission of the government, it doesn’t offer a quick solution to the problem at hand and end the current power crisis forthwith, as the 13-hour daily power cuts continue to batter the already hobbling economy and make the public more miserable.

The playbook the government is following to sort out the power crisis was revealed by Namal Rajapaksa, the Cabinet Minister for Youth & Sports on Wednesday as he said all the solutions they are seeking are long-term and one such answer is renewable energy. 

“I understand the frustration, we are doing our utmost to fix it. All the solutions are long term. Renewable energy is one solution and we are in the process of changing laws and regulations to accommodate it,” he said in a tweet in response to the public outrage at the daily power cuts and fuel shortages.  Sri Lanka went ahead and became a signatory to COP 26 Climate Summit goals in November last year where the signatories pledged not to commission any new coal fired power plants and also to phase down the existing ones to become a net zero carbon emitter to address global warming. 

However, India and China among a few other developing nations rejected to become signatories citing that they neither have the wherewithal nor the feasibility to meet their energy needs through clean energy by 2050, and sought funding support from the wealthier nations to help them out with their net zero ambitions. 

In response to the Rajapaksa’s statement, which found holes in the existing rules and regulations that prevent their plans for renewable energy, Anush Wijesinghe, an economist asked which laws and regulations that do not support renewable energy. 

“Which laws and regulations currently do not ‘accommodate’ renewable energy, Minister? The Electricity Act and the Sustainable Energy Authority are the main law, and institution, respectively, that govern this space. So what specifically about both/either needs changing?”Wijesinghe questioned. 

While no amount of fuel would ensure 24/7 power due to extremely low water levels at the catchment areas, the most immediate solution lies in running all thermal power stations at full capacity, which could bring down drastically the number of hours the power is cut until the rains return.

Many fear that the government’s fixation on renewable energy will be similar to its organic fertiliser obsession, which has threated the country’s food security already.

According to energy sector experts, the cost of generating a unit of electricity through the current renewable energy mix is far higher than the cost of generating a unit of energy from coal. 

Sri Lanka irrationally cancelled the 500 MW coal power plant jointly planned by India and the Ceylon Electricity Board in Sampur. Had this plant been in place, Sri Lanka wouldn’t be talking about a power crisis today during dry weather seasons as based on the present demand, the gap in supply matches with this plant’s capacity.