It is reported that the continuous supply of electricity throughout the country has become a crisis due to the lack of coal required to operate the coal power plants, and a daily power cut will be imposed from tomorrow (10th).
Accordingly, the Ceylon Electricity Board has recommended to the Ministry of Power and Energy that the power supply be cut off for two and a half hours a day. It is said that Mr Hendahewa has informed the Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy Wasantha Perera, and requested him to implement it immediately.
It has been proposed to implement one-hour power cuts from 11 am to 6 pm and two power cuts of 45 minutes each from 6 pm to 9 pm. The Public Utilities Commission has approved the Electricity Board’s proposal and its chairman says a power cut of one or two hours a day will be approved.
Today, 40 % of the daily electricity demand comes from hydropower, 30 % from coal, 22 % from oil, and 8 % from solar and wind. The Ministry of Energy had informed the CEB three weeks ago that it would not supply fuel if the debt of Rs. Ninety billion it owes the Petroleum Corporation is not repaid.
