Official says CEB engineers blocking emergency power purchases

The Ceylon Electricity Board's plans to put in place standby arrangements for emergency purchase of power supplies ahead of possible drought conditions have been interrupted due to ongoing trade union action by engineers.

As a result, standby arrangements in the event of a breakdown of power stations also have been affected, a Power and Renewable Energy Ministry official said.

In view of the impending drought situation, the CEB was planning to buy100 Mw supplementary power as a standby arrangement from the private sector, but the plans have been delayed.

The Engineers Union members are boycotting meetings of the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) which needs to give approval for such purchases.

The Ministry official said that among the other projects held up were the proposal to set up a 100Mw barge mounted LNG and Thermal power plant, four thermal plants of 24Mw each and three plants of 35 Mw each.

Discussions on installing a 500Mw LNG plant in Kerawalapitiya by India and a 400Mw LNG plant by Japan at the same location also had been delayed, he said.

CEB Engineers Union spokeman Saumya Kumarawadu said they were refraining from attending TEC meetings as the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka had opposed the union's power generation plans.

"The PUCSL alone cannot decide on policies. It is the engineers who should decide on such projects," he said.

Mr Kumarawadu said they hoped to meet President Maithripala Sirisena in the next few weeks to discuss the issue.