PUCSL assures uninterrupted power with new methodology 

The electricity regulator Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) yesterday announced a new methodology to evade scheduled power cuts till April, subject to stricter measures to reduce the electricity consumption.

PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake

“There will be no scheduled power cuts. We took this decision after evaluating all data and few assumptions. One is uninterrupted fuel supply for power plants and no breakdown generators,” PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake told journalists yesterday.

On 13 February, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) sought the PUCSL permission for scheduled load shedding due to lack of fuel to operate oil-fired power plants, depleting water reservoirs for hydropower generation.

Ratnayake also said that the CEB has been empowered to import necessary stocks of oil, without depending on the State-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). 

To manage the limited resources available ahead of the dry season, the PUCSL Chief said hydropower generations will be slashed by 50% from today, while large-scale consumers were instructed to purchase stand-by generators. 

He said several directives were issued to the CEB in this regard, including use of the bulk supply of electricity by institutions with their own generators for four hours daily.

“If residents in condos need to have air conditioners operated during peak hours between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., they will have to use generators, while the power consumption at State institutions must also be reduced,” he added. 

PUCSL Chief believes to reduce a capacity of 300 MW and the same through use of standby generators to ease the burden on the national grid.

Ratnayake called on for support from the private and State sectors to avoid future power cuts. “Local Government Authorities have been informed to reduce their power consumption by 80% with street lamps and unnecessary lights on hoardings. How people walk in streets is not the issue of PUCSL, but of the Provincial Councils,” he said.

Despite all these measures in place to secure stable power supply, the electricity regulator hinted there could be power interruptions due to unavoidable malfunctions in the system as well as insufficient electricity consumers support.

“If a power station that generates 100 MW of electricity is out of order, we can go ahead without disrupting the power supply. However, if a power station that generates 200 MW of electricity malfunctions, we will have to impose one-hour power cuts. If it is a 300 MW power station, we are compelled to go for power cuts of one and a half hours,” he explained.