Powering the nation for the future

Friday, 28 June 2013 05:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The 14th annual Sri Lanka Economic Summit which is scheduled to be held from the 9 to 11 July 2013 in Colombo will have its sixth session discussing strategies to manage energy supply and demand in a more efficient manner for the future. Energy has been gaining prominence for countries as a national issue and for its people with economies increasing their energy consumption and depletion of world’s thermal energy deposits and rise in prices. Sri Lanka as an importer of fuel, amounting to 25% of its total import bill, has been experiencing many issues ranging from pricing fuel and electricity, lack of timely investments in the oil and electricity sectors, implication of rising costs on industries and the households to implications at a macroeconomic level on the fiscal performance and balance of payments. Dr. Anil Cabraal will deliver his keynote speech on ‘Meeting the energy needs for tomorrow’ during the session. Dr. Cabraal is a Co-founder and

Director of KMRI Lanka, a renewable energy power development company, an adviser to KMR Infrastructures USA, and an independent consultant in renewable and rural energy. KMRI Lanka is developing a number of dendro power projects in Sri Lanka. Previously, during his 15 years at the World Bank he was responsible for rural and renewable energy development, including guiding the World Bank Group renewable energy and energy efficiency scale-up strategy. He contributed and led strategic planning, policy studies and developed financing instruments for renewable energy. His investment projects include grid-connected and off-grid renewable energy in Asia and Africa with projects currently in the Maldives, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Liberia. He launched the joint World Bank/IFC Lighting Africa Program in 2008. He was a contributor to the design of the Scaling-up Renewable Energy for Low Income Countries (SREP) facility. He is a contributor to Emergence of Electricity from the Sun: Power to the World; Renewable Power in Developing Countries: Winning the War on Global Warming; Best Practices for Photovoltaic Household Electrification Programs; Designing Sustainable Off-grid Rural Electrification Projects and Photovoltaics for Community Services among others. He received the Professor Robert Hill award for his contributions to photovoltaics for development at the European Photovoltaics and Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition in 2005. He serves on the boards of KMRI Lanka, GVEP International a sustainable energy NGO in the UK and the Sri Lanka Energy Forum. He earned his doctorate in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Maryland, USA in 1978 and B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in 1974. His speech will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by LirneAsia Chairman (Colombo, Sri Lanka) Prof. Rohan Samarajeewa. The distinguished panel will consist of Additional Secretary (Planning and Development) Ministry of Power and Energy Upali Darangama, Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority Director General Dr. Thusitha Sugathapala, Sapugaskande Oil Refinery Modernisation Project - Project Director E. M. Piyasena, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Director General Damitha Kumarasinghe and University of Colombo Senior Lecturer Dr. T. L. Gunaruwan.