In the dark

Kussi Amma Sera, Mabel Rasthiyadu and Serapina had gathered at the gate this Thursday morning, chatting with Aldoris, the choon-paan karaya, while munching on maalu-paan and tea-buns. Only the cup of tea was missing.

“Loku Nona, me light kapana eka ape bakeriyata balapanawa. Apita tranformarayak ganna be ne (Madam, these power cuts are affecting our bakery work. Unlike other big places, we can’t afford a generator),” said Aldoris.

“Evunath, davasata peyak vitharai ne, ithin ogollanta weda karaganna puluwan wenna ona (But it is only for one hour per day, so you should be able to manage),” said Kussi Amma Sera. “Me light kepili hema avuruddema wenawa. Me sere, lokkanta monawada manda kiyanna thiyenne (These power cuts are happening every year… I wonder what the authorities have to say this time),” observed Mabel Rasthiyadu.

“Egollo monawa hari hethuwak kiyai (They will come up with some excuse),” grumbled Serapina, putting the last bit of her maalu-paan into her mouth.

As I was settling down to work, I saw the trio coming to the margosa tree and Kussi Amma Sera moving to the kitchen, most probably to prepare tea since I too hadn’t had my morning cup.

The ringing of the phone disturbed the quiet morning. It was Pedris Appo, short for Appuhamy, who is a retired agriculture expert now involved in farming and he was in a foul mood.

“Was it sabotage?” he asked, almost shouting into the phone. “What?” I asked. “Why the virtual shutdown of power on Monday which didn’t get restored for many hours,” he said furiously, adding: “This is happening almost every year and still the authorities don’t have a clue as to why this is happening.”

“I hope the people responsible for the current breakdown will be held accountable and punished,” I said, reminding myself however that unfortunately no one is held accountable when events like these happen in Sri Lanka.

“There is speculation that this might be sabotage and that the power mafias were at work to force the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to resort to costly emergency purchases,” he said. “You may be right. Whenever there is a power cut, the CEB relies on emergency power from private producers,” I said.

While we discussed the power crisis and the one-hour power cuts for four days – there also seemed to be some discrimination since some parts of Colombo were not subjected to these power cuts while the rest of Sri Lanka was. I also recalled what CEB Chairman Vijitha Herath had said in a media interview that the loss to the economy from Monday’s power crisis was Rs. 1 billion. He had also said that the problem originated at the Kerawalapitiya power plant and then at the Norochcholai coal power plant. Both these plants generate 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power to the national grid.

The power generation sector has been dogged by problems over the past few years with a powerful union representing CEB engineers calling the shots with these engineers eternally clashing over coal power, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy resources.

This is a perennial problem and in a March 31, 2019 column titled “Power-ful blame game”, I wrote: “Rather than put their heads together and jointly work out a solution, the political leadership and state entities, meanwhile, were daggers drawn against each other revelling in a blame game which often plagues Sri Lanka during a crisis. Solar power producers blamed the CEB for delaying several solar power project approvals; the CEB blamed it on someone else; the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) blamed the CEB for unscheduled power cuts and vowed to take action; and the President blamed the clash between PUC and the CEB for the crisis.”

This was at a time then when there were daily 4-hour power-cuts across Sri Lanka due to a similar crisis. While Sri Lanka has an abundance of sunlight throughout the year, energy generated from solar power is still on the low side. In fact, all forms of mini-hydros and renewable energy including solar and wind only represent slightly over 17 per cent of the country’s total energy requirements. Last year, the Solar Industries’ Association (SIA) accused the authorities of delaying approvals for nearly 600 applications and urged that these be fast-tracked which would largely help to reduce dependency on hydro power, particularly during a drought. It said that close to 600 applications for solar power plants, which would have added an estimated 1,480 MW to the national grid, had been delayed.

The CEB’s financial performance also weakened in 2019, according to the Central Bank’s annual report for that year, mainly due to the heavy reliance on fuel oil for electricity generation.

According to the unaudited provisional financial statements, the CEB recorded a loss of Rs. 85.4 billion before tax in 2019 compared to a loss of Rs. 30.5 billion reported in 2018. Increased dependence on thermal power due to dry weather conditions that prevailed during the first seven months of 2019 was the main reason for the deterioration of the financial position of the CEB. “The weakened financial position of the CEB emphasises the urgent need for power generation through cheaper sources by introducing an optimal and feasible energy generation mix for the country,” the report noted.

It said the contribution of non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE) sources including mini-hydropower plants to electricity generation, decreased by 6.2 per cent to 1,718 GWh in 2019 compared to the previous year. This reduction was mainly due to dry weather conditions.

At the end of the day, as these on-and-off battles at the CEB emerge with accusations and counter-accusations, it’s the public that suffers during a power-cut, and from past experience, it’s happening every year.

While households are affected, a bigger problem is faced by small businesses like grocery shops, restaurants and small workshops which cannot afford to invest in a generator. At a fish shop, all the fish had to be thrown away.

As I sipped my morning tea brought by Kussi Amma Sera, she had commented: “Mahattaya, me light kapana eka harima prashnayak (Mahattaya, these power-cuts are a real problem)”. I nodded my head in agreement, reflecting on the reality that Sri Lanka can generate all the power it needs from solar because there is sunshine throughout the year – apart from the monsoon months. You just need to come up with a good investment plan to invest on solar power, as the return on investment is quick.