PUCSL says it helped save Rs.31 billion by turning down CEB request for power cuts

I was really happy to read the captioned news in your issue of 1st Feb where the Chairman of PUCSL, Janaka Ratnayaka had said when the CEB sought permission to impose power cuts from January 25th to February 4th they looked at the power supply – viz. status of plants and the supply of fuel and found no need for power shedding which would have caused a loss amounting to Rs.31 Billion and that the CEB could manage without power shedding in February . This feeling of happiness was short lived as there was a power cut from 1.30 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. yesterday in my area. At the same time there was a news item in another daily newspaper of 31st. Jan, under the title ‘CEB to Purchase Electricity from Private Power Plants -Minister ‘says ‘The Ministry for Power has decided to purchase electricity from private power plants for a short period. Minister Gamini Lokuge had said that a proposal in this regard will be submitted to the Cabinet tomorrow [1st Feb]. I had always trusted the CEB for correct information as it is the only organisation which handles this vital subject. That was due to my association with the CEB when in service at the Ministry for Power and Energy, where we never resorted to private sector to come to our rescue. In this instance, surely the Ministry for Power should have received the same assurance given to the PUCSL. Has the CPC given different information to the Ministry for Power and also to the CEB? I leave with an unpleasant feeling that resorting to private suppliers is an easy way rather than strenuously finding a solution internally, for reasons, I refrain from commenting but openly talked about. One other factor which emerges out of this debacle is that the subject of Energy should be merged with Power, as it had always been, so that in situations as at present could have been settled internally. I must here say I had always found fault with the PUCSL for interfering with the CEB and considered the CEB as the sole authority having experienced, knowledgeable engineers on electricity, and now that reliance on the CEB is confirmed and the interferences of the PUCSL makes not only disturb the working of CEB but also makes us the consumers confused to plan out our day to today affairs. I recall the representations made by former Minister for Power and Energy, Dallas Alahapperuma to President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to remove CEB from the list of institutions coming under PUCSL and this was reversed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. I leave requesting the President and Prime Minister to reconsider this directive.

G. A. D. Sirimal

BORALESGAMUWA