Power cuts for a period of four hours are likey to be imposed in Sri Lanka in the near future, Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila said.
He further said the situation could arise if Sri Lanka does not secure a USD loan by the end of March 2022 to purchase crude.
Sri Lanka is heading towards lengthy power disruptions as several of the power stations are gradually shutting down.
The power stations are shutting down due to being unable to generate power due to a lack of fuel.
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is unable to purchase the necessary fuel due to the existing dollar crisis in the country.
With the prevalent dry weather condition as well, Sri Lanka is also unable to generate power using rain water.
As a result, the CEB and the Minister of Energy have been warning of power disruptions.
Minister Gammanpila said that if the diesel allocated for vehicles is provided for the generation of power, it will result in the transportation industry being stranded which will affect the whole country.
He further said if power is supplied continuously for 24-hours and the current restricted foreign exchange is exhausted then this will result in the country having to face daily power cuts for long periods in another 1 ½ months.
Proposing a solution to the crisis, Minister Gammanpila said therefore it is advisable to impose power cuts for a period of 90 minutes every day starting from now.
The Ceylon Electricity Board yesterday said that it will be compelled to impose power cuts from Tuesday night if new stocks of furnace oil are not made available for power plants.
courtesy NewsWire
