Sri Lankan government notes 2,500MW surge in country’s demand for electricity last week and expects further increase
State Minister of Power and Renewable Energy of Sri Lanka Ajith P. Perera has reportedly said that the demand for electricity has surged to a whopping 2500 MW last Friday (23) extending to the weekend making it the highest demand for electricity in recent months.
The Minister has explained that the surge in power was attributed to the prevailing and rising temperature, but has assured that there won’t be any power cuts despite this continuing increase in demand.
“We have enough power on the National Grid. Our reservoir storage levels are satisfactory and fortunately for the Norochcholai power plant which is functioning smoothly, we will not have any power cuts,” Perera has been quoted as saying in the media.
Meanwhile, Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya addressing an event over the weekend has reportedly said that more attention should be drawn to solar power which can meet the rising demand.
The state owned power utility company, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has recorded an increase in peak power demand on Friday (23) to 2500 Megawatts before fluctuating to 2467 megawatts this week.
“While the demand is expected to surge in the coming days, particularly on weekdays, we are confident of handling the upsurge in consumption and can safely guarantee that there will not be any power cuts,” State Minister Perera has said.
He has explained that currently, only 40 percent of the total electricity requirement is generated by way of hydro power plant while the rest is generated by thermal power plants using diesel as fuel.
Perera has added that thermal power is very costly but the solar power could be generated at the lower cost.
“It is unfortunate that a country like Sri Lanka which benefits from such hot climes throughout the year is unable to generate solar power,” Minister Siyamabalapitiya has said, adding that the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to provide solar power panels free of charge to public in an effort to popularize and educate the general public on this.
OSL take:
The surge in the demand for electricity in the country and the possibility of a further increase in the demand is an indication of the looming power crisis in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka still relies on expensive thermal power generation to meet its energy demands at the moment. The Sri Lankan government however has expressed interest in promoting renewable energy generation methods, especially solar power generation. Therefore, foreign investors could explore the investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s power and energy generation sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20180328/Z_4 |