Power crisis: Top official tampers with committee report

Questions over whether alterations were made to promote business interests

A three-member ministerial committee tasked to make urgent recommendations to end the power crisis has found that alterations have been made to its report by a senior official of the Ministry of Power and Energy.

Such a move, the Sunday Times has learnt, has triggered questions on whether the alterations were intended to promote certain business interests under the cover of the power crisis. For example, the committee had specifically recommended the purchase of 200MW ofpower for six months from a p r ivate supplier operating a barge- mounted plant. The ministry official had added other barge- mounted power projects.

Another was the inclusion of two different contracts to different companies for LNG projects -- a subject that did not come before the Committee. It is not clear whether the official included these changes on his own or at the insistence of political leaders.

Though the recommendations were intended to be for a short- term period, the official changed it.

The committee was headed by Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake and included Highways Minister Kabir Hashim and Non- Cabinet Economic Reforms and Public Distribution Minister Harsha de Silva.

The Sunday Times learns that the committee's original report had been tippexed and the additions included. At least, one committee member had refused to sign the report, forcing the Ministry official to revert to the original recommendations. The Sunday Times also learns that the matter has been brought the attention of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Despite claims by Minister Karunanayake that there would be no power cuts from last Friday, engineers warned that the power situation was extremely volatile. “The supply of electricity after the national holidays hinges only on a “perfect scenario” where all power plants work smoothly, emergency power is connected promptly and the expected monsoons arrive on time,” warned Saumya Kumarawadu, President of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union. In the event of an unfortunate breakdown in Norochcolai, power cuts would become inevitable, he said.