300 mw from Norochcholai next year:

More power to national grid

Christie Fernando - Chilaw special correspondent

The Government expects to add 300 mega watts of power by January next year to the national grid under the first phase of the Norochcholai Coal Power plant Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka said.

The Minister who was touring the Norochcholai site to assess its progress was speaking at a media conference there. Ranawaka said, the coal power plant construction at Norochcholai is being expedited in three phases by a Chinese company that would add an estimated 900 mega watts to the national grid.”

He said “Up to now 90 per cent of the first phase has been completed. The electricity needed for the country was supplied utilising water. But as it was unable to supply the ever growing power demand we had to recourse to fuel to produce electricity.

The CEB system has power plants burning auto diesel, adding up to about 600 mw. But this will be curtailed, he said.

“When we sold an electricity unit for about Rs 3.00, our cost is Rs. 4.00. So the Electricity Board received only 75 percent of the money spent and was running at a loss, the Minister said.