Power cuts till 2027 unless generation capacity is increased

Sri Lanka will experience periodical power cuts until 2027 if the government does not take steps to increase power generation. CEB engineers say that people are in a state of shock over the sharply increased power tariff because the government failed to introduce the increases in an affordable manner.

CEB Engineers Union (CEBEU) President, Saumya Kumarawadu said: “The government should have increased the tariff at regular intervals. We haven’t increased rates in a decade and suddenly we have increased by a large amount. That’s why it has come as a shock to people.”

He said that the electricity tariff was last increased in 2012. In 2014, the tariff was reduced. Without increasing electricity tariffs, the CEB will have to get increasing amounts of money from the treasury.

“The government should have increased the tariff at regular intervals. We haven’t increased rates in a decade and suddenly we have increased it sharply. That’s why it has come as a shock to people,” he said.

Due to electricity shortages, the Norochcholei Power Plant has been operational non-stop, sometimes even without scheduled maintenance, Kumarawadu said.

“Even now a generator is down. It will be back online within 14 days. We had started maintenance on another plant in June and it was due to be back online in September. But this has been delayed till November.”

Kumarawadu warned there will be 10-hour power cuts without Norochcholai. However, the power cuts could be reduced in two weeks, when the generator comes back online, he said.

“Power cuts might have to go on till 2026 or 2027 unless new plants come up. A proposal to build an LNG power plant is still stuck in the Cabinet,” he said.

He said that while they support restructuring of the CEB, they oppose un-bundling and selling the CEB to various private players.