Govt. to call fresh proposals to buy emergency power from private sector

The government has decided to call fresh proposals to procure emergency power from the private sector in order to prepare for a deficit in the power generation capacity at the peak of drought season in March this year.
Although, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal to procure emergency power from the private sector as a policy decision, Co-Cabinet Spokesperson and Plantation Minister Ramesh Pathirana yesterday revealed that the ministers were not in agreement of the conditions put forward by private sector power suppliers.

“The government was asked to purchase emergency power for three years under these conditions. However, we were not in agreement with this condition in particular. Therefore, we decided to go for a new tender round to procure emergency power from the private sector based on the requirement,” he elaborated.
He said that all are invited to participate in this new tender round.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Engineers Union (CEBEU) recently warned of up to five-hour power cuts by April due to multiple reasons including fuel shortages to power thermal power plants. Dr.Pathirana cited the non-establishment of any major power plant during the past six years as the major reason for the current power crisis while the power demand increased by 10 percent.
Further, he stressed on the government’s commitment to meet 70 percent of the country’s power generation through renewable energy sources by 2030. He noted that the government intends to take several crucial policy decisions in the near future in this regard.