Sri Lanka will not see longer power cuts despite Norochcholai coal plant breakdown: minister

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka will not be seeing longer power cuts despite a breakdown in the third unit of the Norochcholai coal power plant as the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has been given regulatory approval to purchase power from private plants, an official said.

Minister of Power & Energy Kanchana Wijesekara tweeted Tuesday September 27 morning that the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will provide the fuel needed by the CEB to maintain power generation without extending power cuts despite the Norocchcholai breakdown. The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the country’s power regulator, has authorised the purchase of power from private plants, he said.

PUCSL has granted approval for CEB to purchase power from Private Plants until Norochcholai Power Plant is restored & CPC will provide the necessary Diesel, Naphtha & Furnace Oil requirements to CEB to maintain the power generation without extending the power cuts from tomorrow.

— Kanchana Wijesekera (@kanchana_wij) September 27, 2022

PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake had warned a short while earlier that Sri Lanka’s daily scheduled power cuts, already extended by an hour, will likely see further extensions following yet another breakdown at the Lakvijaya coal power plant in Norochcholai, Puttalam.

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Sri Lanka likely to plunge deeper into darkness as Norochcholai coal plant reports another breakdown