Energy Minister assured continuous fuel supply to CEB for a week - PUCSL

Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila has assured a continuous supply of fuel to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for a week, says the chairman of Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Janaka Ratnayake.

Yesterday, the CEB expected the national electricity demand to rise to 2,700 MW however, it was recorded at 2,418 MW. The demand was fulfilled using 1,548 MW from coal power plants, 774 MW from hydropower plants and 4% or 96 MW from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass.

However, nearly one-hour interruptions to the power supply were experienced in many parts of the island last night.

Meanwhile, the technical fault in the third generator of the Norochcholai power plant was rectified by this morning and 100 MW of power was added to the national grid.

The Barge Mounted Power Plant in Colombo which generates 60 MW of electricity was activated again last evening after it was supplied required stocks of furnace oil. Further, Sapugaskanda B Power Plant also added 63 MW of electricity to the national grid after receiving furnace oil.

The Uthuru Janani Power Station has also received diesel and furnace oil required for power generation.

In the meantime, the privately-owned Sojitz Kelanitissa Power Station in Colombo is slated be added to the national grid following the conclusion of its maintenance work.

Against this backdrop, it is reported that the 300 MW coal-fired Kelanitissa Power Station is running out of diesel and that the stocks in its possession are sufficient only for today.