Govt Finally Goes For New Power Plants With Looming Cisis In Horizon
With a massive power crisis looming as the previous Yahapalana regime failed to build a single new power plant, the government would now go all out to build a series of 300 MW Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plants at Kerawalapitiya with first being an Indian and Japanese combine with CEB as soon as possible, Informed Power and Energy Ministry sources said yesterday.
Power and Energy Minister Mahinda Amaraweera was to visit the site shortly. The Minister was determined to commence the much delayed plant before March 1 and before parliament was dissolved. “In that scenario, there will still be a minimum three months delay,” an official said
The official told The Earthlanka that the Minister was not keen on allocating monies for emergency power purchases though he was compelled to do so on Wednesday with the approval of 100MW and 128MW. “Though the rate would be Rs. 24.00 a unit that would go up in case oil prices shoot up, but not come down if the prices came down,” an official said. Though the consumer would be getting at Rs. 16.00 unit and 1.7 million people would given at Rs 2.60 unit.The new plant at Kerawalapitiya is expected provide electricity by April/May next year.
Responding to queries, a Ministry official said that a senior ministry bureaucrat was hampering the progress when Minister wanted to go fast with regard to upcoming projects considering the situation the country was in. The Earthlanka reliably learns that the Ministry would stick with the plan that there would be 300 MW new LNG Combined cycle at Kerawalapitya by Wind Force Consortium, 300 MW new LNG Combined cycle Kerawalapitiya by Lakdanavi, 300 MW new LNG Combined cycle plant at Kerawalapitiya with India, 300 MW new LNG Combined cycle at Kerawalapitiya with Japan, 300 MW new LNG Combined cycle at Hambanthota with China 300 MW new Coal power plant at Norochcholai and 300 MW new additional Coal plant at Norochcholai and 600 MW new Coal power plant at Trincomalee. They would be given top priority considering country’s energy needs.
“Right now…Kerawalapitiya is the best option…no environmental issues and could avert a power crisis next year,” an official close to Minister said.
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