CEB engineers ask public to expect a Black March

Sri Lanka would expereince extended power cuts from March 2024 for want of coal to keep the Lakvijaya Power Station in Norochcholai running, Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Engineer’s Union Nihal Weeraratne said.

Addressing the media in Colombo, Weeraratne said that the hydro power generation would drop during the dry season and they would not be able to maintain an uninterrupted power supply.

“We need a steady thermal power supply to prevent power cuts. But we are struggling to secure the necessary stocks of coal. We now predict a dark March and April, months ahead of the power cuts we predicted for July,” Weerarathne said.

He said they need 38 ships carrying coal is needed to keep the power plant running. However only five ships have arrived so far, he said.

“We have only four months to get and unload the coal because after April we can’t unload due to rough seas. A ship takes about five days to unload and we can only unload about 24 ships. Currently Lakvijaya Power Station is operating at 45 percent of its capacity,” he said.