S. Asia records 6-8% growth despite power short-fall

POWER: South Asia is a region having 20% of the world population with only 4% of the total installed power generation capacity. This region has had an average economic growth rate of over 6-8% during the last decade, Chairman- South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulation (SAFIR) Prof. Priyantha Wijayatunga said.

Addressing the World Forum on Energy Regulation III held in Washington DC from October 9 to 11 Wijayatunga said that these countries need to ensure access to basic energy needs of this population on a priority basis to reduce poverty on those countries.

Prof. Wijayatunga who is Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) said that as the designated regulator for electricity and downstream petroleum (including gas) sectors always advise the Government on their interventions not only in the energy sector but also in other areas such as environment where applicable.

This involvement and other regulatory related activities allow the PUCSL to seriously take note of the key messages of this conference and implement them.

He also said that the commercial energy growth rate at its minimum can be as high as about 8-10% a year, requiring enormous resources to be made available to this sector every year. "Throughout the whole conference, a good regulatory environment is the key to attract these resources from various sources, particularly the private sector and the multilateral donors," Prof Wijayatunga said.

The Government of Sri Lanka is seriously examining the creation of a regulatory environment in the electricity, petroleum and gas sectors, conducive for rapid economic development in the country. For instance including the subject areas such as Energy regulation and global warming considering the enormity of the problem of global warming and other adverse environmental impacts of energy use was commendable.

Also the key areas such as accessibility to basic energy need, energy infrastructure investment and the availability of energy and the regulators role in all these areas have been extensively discussed in the future forums.