September 03, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s electricity supply remains stable despite a temporary reduction in coal-fired generation, with strong hydropower output helping to meet the country’s current demand, the Ministry of Energy said.
Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka said dwindling coal reserves had led officials to scale back generation at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant. However, he said the situation had not created an immediate threat to the reliability of the national grid.
The country is due to receive two new consignments of coal in the coming days. The first shipment is expected to reach Sri Lanka on September 04, followed by another shipment on September 12.
According to the minister, operations at Norochcholai are expected to return to normal after the coal from both vessels has been unloaded and made available for generation.
Karunathilaka also sought to reassure the public that electricity rationing was not currently necessary, urging consumers not to be alarmed by reports concerning the decline in coal stocks.
The issue has nevertheless drawn criticism from the opposition. Frontline Socialist Party Education Secretary Pubudu Jagoda warned that the reduced coal reserves represented a significant difficulty for the country’s power-generation system.
Jagoda made the comments after submitting a request to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), calling on the regulator to refrain from approving further increases in electricity tariffs.
While the Government maintains that hydropower is presently sufficient to bridge the gap, the arrival and timely unloading of the incoming coal shipments will be closely watched as authorities seek to maintain uninterrupted electricity generation.
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