Power matters

I am glad that G.A.D Sirimal has replied to my letter. He is au fait with the CEB affairs. I am just a consumer of electricity looking at the power-related problems from a layperson’s point of view. For me, actually it does not matter if it’s PUCSL, or any other body, as long as we are given power at affordable prices. By affordable I mean affordable by our environment, as well as our purses. I am no fan of PUCSL. But I believed it to be the only safeguard we, the consumers had against the powers that be, who run the power sector of Sri Lanka, the politicians, the businessmen and CEB et al. Yes PUCSL were interfering, nosey, petty, objectionable lot, more at home in a courtroom than a public sector institution. When I asked the question, ‘if not PUCSL, then who?’ It was a genuine query which I hoped somebody will provide an honest answer to. If the answer is the President, I’ll take it, if it’s PBJ, that’s good too. If it’s the planning ministry that’s fine too, If its consumer or environmental authorities, that’s great too. If any of these bodies are geared to look after the consumer and the environment in the end, not profits nor politics nor friends, then they are all good.

But unfortunately, these have not worked for us up to now. Neither for the consumer nor the environment. CEB’s long term least cost generation plan was flawed in that it was done in a vacuum not considering the environmental and future trends of power generation in the rest of the world. It didn’t take any notice of rest of the world’s movement away from non-renewable sources to renewable energy. ‘Least cost’ was their only guidance. When the rest of the world was shutting down coal power plants CEB wanted them built here probably because they were the ‘least cost’ option. We would get a Watt at a low price but the cost to the environment was not theirs to calculate. Who would foot this environmental cost other than us, the consumers and our future generations to come? Even LNG, the better option too was scuttled with the political interferences from unholy alliances formed between Ravi Karunayake and the CEB heads. The government finance guy who should have advised CEB was also Ravi K himself! So no wonder it went to the Chinese firm instead of the CEB’S own LTL, even though they were the lower bidder. In midst of such scenarios, it was a good thing PUCSL was there to unearth these fiascos. As a result now we see, the new government’s power focus have shifted to cleaner sources like LNG, wind power etc., as well as moving away from coal (hopefully). So PUCSL did serve their purpose. But if they’ve done with their job and is busy interfering in the day to day work of the CEB then let them be gone. But we must make sure the CEB does not pander to business interests of their choice, and scuttle others who are actually beneficial at the moment, like the thermal IPPs. There is absolutely no sense in dismantling already running and producing power stations. Especially at this juncture of power inadequacy. Especially when they are offering power units at lower prices than they did long years ago. They need to be around till Sri Lanka has new power stations built and operational to take over. To look for new ‘emergency suppliers’ to buy at higher costs, at the expense of these IPPs smacks of underhand deals with new power dealers. Can CEB (or the government) be motivated by financial benefits offered by these ‘power pirates’ to its decision makers? We need PUCSL like bodies to avert such misappropriations from happening, which will be disastrous to consumers.

Concerned consumer