Norochcholai shut down costs CEB Rs.600 mn a day 

By Maheesha Mudugamuwa-September 2, 2014

Science, Technology and Atomic Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka says that the shutdown of Lakwijaya coal-fired power plant at Norochcholai costs the CEB Rs. 600 mn a day.

Addressing a book launch on Sunday (31) in Kandy, the former Power and Energy Minister Ranawaka said that the future of Sri Lanka’s power and energy sector would depend on the Norochcholai power plant.

If the power plant was handed over to another authority, it would severely affect the country’s power sector, he said.

Pointing out that nearly 60 percent of the country’s electricity requirement would be met by the Norochcholai plant, Ranawaka stressed that if the total energy requirement of the country today was 30 GWh, the plant could be able to generate 21 Gwh.

It was being said in some quarter that a power crisis was on the horizon and the officials of the CEB and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) were thieves, Minister Ranawaka said, adding that there was a conspiracy behind the continuous losses of the CEB and CPC mentioned by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE).

Minister Ranawaka said the onus was on the public to reject, at a future election, the politicians in league with the Power Mafia, which he said was worse than Prabhakaran.

Ministry secy. frowns on ‘CEB-Chinese firm MoU’

By Ifham Nizam-September 2, 2014

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) General Manager Shavindranth Fernando has come under fire for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as regards the Norochcholai coal-fired power plant with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) without the Power and Energy Ministry approval.

Ministry Secretary, and senior civil servant, M. M. C. Ferdinando, contacted for comment, said the MoU had been signed without his approval. When a formal agreement between the two governments was signed, they would take up the matter with the General Manager, he added.

Ferdinando said that plans were underway for an MoU to obtain technical support from the Chinese government after the warranty period was over.

Fernando stressed that after the warranty period was over they had to depend on Chinese expertise instead of going for open bidding.

Ferdinando said the approval of the Attorney General, Finance Ministry and the Cabinet had been sought in this regard.

A senior official of the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) told The Island that they had not signed any such agreements.

However, CEB Additional General Manager, M. C. Wickremasekara told The Island that there was an agreement signed by the General Manager and it was beneficial to Sri Lanka.

He said that under that agreement China would provide training to engineers free of charge and already eight engineers had been undergoing training in China.

CEB General Manager Shavindranath Fernando, contacted for comment, did not deny having signed an MoU with the Chinese Company.