Electricity consumption up by 18 percent during day, 10 during night:
Due to the prevailing drought, the consumption of electricity has increased by 18 percent during the day and ten percent during the night, Power and Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya yesterday said.
“While the drought had raised electricity demand, the Norochcholai Coal Power plant stands troubled in need of urgent repairs for the 38th time,” the minister said.
“The drought has drastically reduced water storage. As of now, we have 32 percent of water in our reservoirs.
“The country has lost three rainy seasons. The monsoonal rains have failed us after 30 years. We are in the middle of a power crisis,” the minister stressed. The country gets 40 percent of its electricity from water.
Siyambalapitiya said although our country is ranked 11th in the world for hydro power capacity and generation, our ability to produce hydro-based electricity is dependent mostly on climatic conditions.
“Therefore, to pull through this drought successfully as a nation; the support of the public is of paramount importance,” he said.
“I appeal to the public to save energy, because by saving energy they could also save money for themselves and more importantly, they would be contributing to lead the country out of a potential national power crisis,” he said.
“The situation may require us to purchase diesel and coal based power from private power companies. But we plan to pull through the crises without burdening the public,” he added.