Save power until projects come on line

Colombo: The Power and Energy Ministry ma- de a fervent appeal from electricity consumers to help overcome the energy crisis by using electricity sparingly until construction work on the Kerawalapitiya, Upper Kotmale and Puttalam power stations are completed.

The Ministry said six million electricity units could be saved daily if consumers used electricity sparingly. People had faced the current inconveniences in electricity consumption due to the undermining of national development policies by political and other forces in the past for petty political gain.

Had these sinister forces allowed the Norochcholai coal power station and the Upper Kotmale hydro electricity scheme to be completed on schedule as planned earlier, rising oil prices would not have posed problems for electricity generation today, a Power and Energy Ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman said the total number of consumers in the domestic, industrial and commercial sectors was around 3.8 million. The wastage caused in these sectors was nearly 20 per cent of the total consumption, which was caused unwittingly. Sixty five per cent of Sri Lanka's daily electricity consumption of 29 million units was generated from thermal stations which depended on fuel. The electricity demand during the 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. peak hours increased to 1,900 megawatts when all diesel power stations were in operation.

Almost one third of total fuel imports were used for electricity generation and the Government spent Rs. 100 billion annually on it. The Government faced a dire foreign exchange crisis as it had to spend nearly one third of its total foreign exchange earnings on fuel imports annually.

The price of a barrel of crude oil was likely to increase to US $ 200 per barrel and this would cause a relative increase in the cost of electricity generation. This could be partially overcome if people used electricity sparingly specially during the peak hours of 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The spokesman said the Ministry would request State and Private sectors too to cut down electricity consumption at least by 10 per cent by switching off electricity bulbs during day time and minimising the use of fans and air conditioners. The people could save electricity by using CFL bulbs, he said.