No power cuts from April 10 - Ravi

Minister of Power, Energy and Business Development Ravi Karunanayake says that there will be no power cuts from the 10th of April. He mentioned this following a visit to the Kelanitissa Power Station, earlier today (05).

He says that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the Ministry and himself deeply regret the inconvenience caused to the public over the power cuts.

While there won’t be any power cuts after April 10, everyone should use electricity sparingly for the coming 3-4 months until a long-term solution is provided for the issue, the Minister said.

Karunanayake said that they are planning to provide solutions for the prevailing power crisis under 3 stages; short-term, mid-term and long-term.
The long-term plan – to look into adding 3000-3500 MW to the National Grid – was presented to Cabinet for approval last week, according to the Minister.

The mid-term plan is to look into restoring existing power plants which need to be repaired and the short-term plan is adding 500-600 MW to the National Grid, Karunanayake said.

“The short-term would also include looking into bridging the current gap of 300 MW in the National Grid. We have found a complete solution for this. We should plan on how to fill these needs even if it cannot be supported by hydro-power,” added the Minister.