PUCSL says power cuts will not be allowed until Feb. 4

The electricity sector regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), yesterday said a proposal put forward by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to interrupt power would not be allowed until February 4, 2022.
The CEB had stated that there was a need for power interruption from January 25 to February 4, a PUCSL statement said. “We reviewed the power plants and the fuel stocks that are required for them, on a daily basis. Based on the results of those reviews, we decided that there is no necessity of power interruption. 

It is estimated that around Rs.31 billion of loss may have occurred in the entire economy, if the proposed power interruption was approved,” PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said. “Especially the A/L examinations are scheduled to take place in the next month. Uninterrupted power supply should be provided in order to have the examination successfully,” he added. According to the PUCSL statement, Unit 3 of the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, which was undergoing renovations, has commenced generation of power supply. Also, the 130MW power plant at Sojitz, which was recently disconnected from the national grid for maintenance purposes, will resume generation from February 2. It also noted that the Sapugaskanda oil refinery has received crude oil and has already started the process of refining the fuel required for the power plants in the future. “As a result, it has been confirmed that the power supply can be maintained uninterrupted,” Ratnayake said.

The PUCSL also requested the support of the electricity consumers to manage the supply of electricity in such a challenging situation.