Difficulties in operating power plants sans furnace oil: CEB
Operating power plants has become an issue due to insufficient furnace oil supplies, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said.
The CEB said the operation of power plants has been limited due to the non-availability of required daily furnace oil stocks.As a result, it said daily power cuts of up to three hours could be implemented.
The daily requirement of furnace oil for the operation of Yugadanavi, Sapugaskanda and Bach Fuel Plants is 2500 metric tons, but the amount that is being supplied daily at the moment is 1400 metric tons or less.Accordingly, the CEB pointed out that the operation of power plants has been limited.
At present, hydropower production is operating at 60% maximum capacity and the number of megawatts added to the national grid is 1340. Nearly 600 megawatts of electricity is also being added to the grid from the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant.
The CEB said the electricity obtained from the hydropower generation and the coal-fired power plant is inadequate to meet the electricity requirement of 2100 megawatts.Since the Sapugaskanda Refinery has also restarted its operations, it is expected that the fuel needed for electricity production will be delivered to the power plants soon.The CEB said that a discussion is scheduled to be held today (29) regarding the duration of the daily power cuts and the current situation.
