COLOMBO – Sri Lanka could face power cuts for up to10 hours a day in January if sufficient coal does not arrive in time to keep a base load coal plant in operation, the engineers’ union of the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) warned.
The Chinese-built three-unit Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant, more commonly known as the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant (NCPP) has received only 5 shipments of the 38 ordered so far.
Nihal Weeraratne, President of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineering Union (CEBEU) said Sri Lanka had failed to bring down the required coal on time.
Sri Lanka faced forex crisis leading to shortages of most essentials including medicine and fuel. Energy suppliers who used to give credit to Sri Lanka are less willing to do so, following the debt default and the negative credit ratings by leading rating firms.
CEB expects to 60,000 metric tonnes of coal in 38 shipments by April 15, 2023, while the five shipments received so far is only sufficient till December 31. After April, seas off the Western coast is too rough to unload ships.
“This can be managed by limiting the utilization of the power plants to one or two plants, which will cause extended power cuts. Currently we are facing 2 hours and 20 minutes’ power cuts but after December it will be extended to 10 hours,” Weeraratne told a media briefing on Tuesday (20).
The sixth shipmen is due on January 6, 2023 and it takes five days for the unloading process, which may force the CEB to extend the power cut up to 10 hours at least until January 11, Weeraratne warned.
The Union said 7500 metric tonnes of coal is needed to run the three units of the plant and since they are running out of coal they will switch off one or two units.
“We can’t use hydro power since the water level is only 75% and we can’t use it to produce electricity as the first priority of water is for drinking, then for agricultural activities, and thirdly for electricity,” Weeraratne said.
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