Govt. switches on 10-year energy sector plan for knowledge-based economy

Wednesday, 1 April 2015 01:43 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday unveiled the energy sector plan for the next 10 years, formulated to achieve the ambitious goal of 100% energy self-sufficiency by 2030. Launching the ‘Sri Lanka Energy Sector Development Plan for a Knowledge-based Economy, 2015-2025’ at Waters Edge last morning, the Prime Minister said the country was in need of an economy based on knowledge and it was essential to add technology into production. Recalling that former President J.R. Jayewardene introduced the open economy system in 1977 and implemented the integrated Mahaweli scheme with the aim of making Sri Lanka self-sufficient in power requirements, the Prime Minister said the aim of the present Government was also to turn Sri Lanka into a strong country in the region self-sufficient in power. Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka earlier said that the next target of the Government was to make the country self-sufficient in fuel and other energy sources similar to the self-sufficiency achieved in rice production. “We have set an ambitious goal of 100% energy self-sufficiency by 2030. As a developing economy, the challenge ahead of us is enormous and I am convinced that we can reach this goal if we set our priorities right and adjust our actions along the way,” the Minister said in the introduction of the 10-year plan. He said the plan has been designed to engineer the country’s economy and development activities to their maximum level with its own power and energy by 2020. The Minister said the 10-year practical plan had been prepared with the contribution of the institutions affiliated to the Ministry of Power and Energy and the private sector under the theme of a country self-sufficient in power. The Minister added that this plan had been formulated minimising the roles to be played by the Ceylon Electricity Board and the oil refineries.