The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has provided the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) with a stock of naphtha sufficient for just over three days, despite CEB’s unsettled payments.
Despite having made a decision to provide the required amounts of naphtha only upon payment of the relevant fee by the CEB, the CPC yesterday (13 Jan.) supplied the petroleum corporation with 2,300 metric tonnes of naphtha.
The engineers belonging to CEB, however, noted that the stock would last only three and a half days, highlighting that if a permanent supply of naphtha is not secured, the Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Station would have to be shut down after Tuesday (17 Jan.).
They were also of the opinion that if CPC provided the petroleum product at its original cost of Rs. 82, as opposed to the Rs. 164 that CPC sells naphtha to CEB for, the cost of generating electricity, too, could be greatly reduced.
CPC trade unions today (14 Jan.) noted, however, that in the event CEB is unable to settle their existing debts, this would be a potential risk to the importation of crude oil into Sri Lanka as well.
