For future world:

Energy main requirement

Patali Champika Ranawaka - Power and Energy Minister

Green energy base for sustainable development:

Coal is not a long-term solution by any measure. Therefore, it will be present in our long-term generation plan till year 2030. However, the Ceylon Electricity Board needs the coal power thermal projects badly at present to overcome the crisis which it faced due to the dependence on diesel and furnace oil

Lankan standpoint

* Introduced by British

* Pioneered by local engineer Wimalasurendra

* Laxapana complex started in 1950

* Four percent Lankans got electricity in 1970

* Thirty percent consumed electricity in 1990

If I am asked to name the most precious item in the future world, my answer would be ‘Energy’. Countries and organizations rich in manpower were considered to be ‘world leaders’ in the past and they later had to give way to those who possessed military strength. However, after World War II, when it was realized that sophisticated weapons could no longer be used without bringing about untold destruction of the whole world, wealth became the decisive factor of power and in turn, to generate wealth, technology and knowledge became important imperatives.

Accordingly, at present, the knowledge of the cyber space based on Information Technology is identified as the main path towards power. However, as energy is going to be the main requirement for the future world power, its ownership, sustainability, associated cost of technology and usage will be very decisive. Fossil fuel heavily contributes towards environmental pollution and as a result, the ownership of eco-friendly and sustainable sources of energy will hold the key to power in the future world.

There is evidence that life on earth has existed for more than 600 million years. It is believed that the oldest link of the human being had existed for millions of years and the modern human being evolved during the period of the previous 200,000 - 100,000 years.

Archeological proofs

It may be possible that our ancestry would go further than the Anthropological and archeological proofs. Generally, Western Anthropologists observe this evolution with a comparison of the tools used during Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Agricultural Age and the Industrial Age. As the human requirements become more and more complex, it is obvious that his life style, technology as well as the social power too changed on the source of energy and not the equipment used. This social status is known as progress or development.

As I see, there are three development models in the world. Firstly the living style of primordial development existed under the environment as a mere part of natural world. In this scenario human beings used only the energy required to ensure his biological existence.

Energy consumption

During this period man destroyed the balance not only in the surrounding environment but also the global balance.

Fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas resources helped man to achieve this life pattern. These resources were exploited from the earth than the amount she was willing to offer creating ecological deficit and this in turn created air and thermal pollutions to an extent that the earth could not endure.

It is for the sake of fossil fuel the modern man now uses 120 times of energy more than the actual needs to sustain biological existence on the earth.

Even though a person requires two mega calories to maintain the living processes, the modern IT man consumes 120 times, that is 240 mega calories for his food, transport, production and communication needs. Nine tenth of the world’s energy consumption is derived from fossil fuel.

According to a Chief of the Arabian Aramco Company, their oil resources are to be exhausted by the year 2040. The first ever oil well was dug in United States in 1856 and as per estimates the last oil well will be dug by 2056. Before the oil shortage begins, oil would become very expensive and there would be a brutal fight for oil. High rainfalls, snow fall, cyclones, droughts, floods, earthslips, earthquakes, tsunamis, melting of glaziers, increase of sea water level, extinction of living species are caused by global warming and this would ultimately lead to the extinction of mankind.

Fuel crisis

This trend were the experience during 2008-2009 in Sri Lanka as well as in the whole world. The environmental crisis increases the fuel crisis and the fuel crisis causes the water, food and financial crises and as was experienced during 2010 - 2011 period.

According to one critic, the Stone Age ended up not because of the shortage of stones. However, the oil age would end up due to the complete use of oil and the waste created by oil.

We should understand that the development model based on fossil fuel, which started 150 years before has reached its last few decades. Fossil fuel created a giant revolution in the transportation and construction sectors. However, when history is reviewed the fuel-based revolution had a great leap forward with the invention of the new source of power called ‘electricity’.

Electricity was introduced to modern Sri Lanka by British. A local engineer, Wimalasurendra pioneered local electricity generation. It was his effort to show that electricity generated with gas and diesel and limited to the barracks and offices of the British rulers can be taken to the villages and to the whole country. As a result of his efforts we were able to generate hydropower providing an example to the whole of Asia. The Laxapana Complex which commenced in 1950 still provides electricity to the nation.

Hydro electric power generated from the Kelani and Mahaweli rivers was our one and only generation strength until 1990. The level of electricity consumption limited to four percent of the population in 1970 increased to 30 percent by 1990.

Similarly the electricity which was mainly used in lights extended its use for domestic appliances, industries, hotels fields.

Therefore the demand for electricity was doubled every decade. In the 1990s, it was observed that ever increasing electricity demand cannot be met only by the hydropower in the coming decade. Accordingly the consideration was focused on thermal electricity. By that time there were some power stations which used furnace oil removed as a byproduct from the oil refinery to use in an electricity backup generation system. However, as their costs were very high the concept of a coal power plant was proposed.

Modern coal era

Coal is also a fossil fuel like petroleum oil and gas. Fossils are created by trees and living species that got deposited in the earth for millions of years. There are many kinds of coal and even primitive men used coal for their requirements.

The modern coal era began in Europe during 17th and 18th Centuries. Unlike oil, coal was abundantly available and was easy to mine. Coal was mostly used to generate electricity. Today its contribution towards the world’s electricity generation is 40 percent. The other matter related to coal is that it vastly contributes to air pollution with its emission of carbon and sulfur gases in its burning process.

Further, the depositing of ash produced after burning was another issue. Generally, coal is a cheap source of power but it serves as a very dangerous pollutant agent as well.

As per the specific kind of coal for Sri Lanka, the price of an electricity unit at the end of year 2010 was Rs 6.20. In 2000 it was Rs 0.90 and in 1990 it was Rs 0.18. This shows that the cheap power generated from the coal power plant in 1990 cannot be obtained in 2011.

As coal is used vastly due to the shortage of energy, the use of coal as a source of energy would be very costly by year 2020. Further an amount of 350-900gm of carbon is emitted when one unit of electricity is generated using coal and it mainly contributes to global warming and environmental degradation. In the 1990-2000 generation plan, the Ceylon Electricity Board proposed a coal power project.

Areas like Mawella, Trincomalee and Puttalam were suggested as the sites for this project but it was not implemented due to various public protests. Some protests were political campaigns and others were of religious nature. Some other protests were environmental and some raised a question whether this would be economical.

Owing to these protests the construction of the power plant was delayed. There was no alternative proposed as usual. This resulted in a power crisis during 1995-96 as the generation was not able to meet the demand for electricity.

As a result the private sector constructed expensive diesel and furnace oil operated power plants for emergency use. By year 2010 the price of a diesel electricity unit was Rs 22 and furnace oil electricity unit was Rs 10. Coal electricity units costs around Rs 6 (this is only for the fuel cost.

The capital cost is Rs 5 or more for all the power plants transmission and distribution cost could be another Rs 3.50).

Accordingly, the crisis in which the CEB has been faced today is a result of its inability to generate electricity at a low cost. It has become a burden on the general public, being one part as to cover up the loss and the other part as the high electricity bills.

This is the final result of the non-implementation of power projects in fear of the shortsighted protest campaigns raised by the so-called public loving pressure groups.

On the other hand coal emits carbon. With the proposed power plant (300 MW), the per capita emission will increase by 110 kg per year. At present (2010) per capita emission is 660 kg per year and due to this power plant this would increase up to 770 kg. As the proposed power plant has two phases, the total emission would increase by 490-500 kg per year and finally per capita emission would be 1,150-1,200 kg for year.

At present this rate is 2,200kg in India, 6,800kg in China, 11,000kg in Europe, 21,000kg in Australia and 24,000kg in United States.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel Committee on Climate Change - (IPCCC) the environmentally permissible amount is 2,100kg for 2010. Therefore, even if there is air pollution from us, it would be within the permissible level. It has been designed to reduce the per capita emission after year 2030 and also to maintain this under the globally accepted level, according to the carbon budget envisaged by the IPCCC.

A demand has already been created for the ashes emitted from coal power plant to produce cement and to make some other goods and also to be used in the construction of buildings. If these environmentalists had suggested co-firing option of the coal power plant and to implement 5 percent of this burning bio mass associated with fuel wood, the farmers around Puttalam and Trincomalee would be highly benefited and we could save foreign exchange as well.

This is a good example to be followed for politically motivated prejudicial protest campaigns. The same phenomenon was repeated at the Kukuleganga and Upper Kotmale Projects as well. Owing to these short-sighted protest campaigns, the country was deprived of their benefits.

This resulted in purchase of thermal power. The final agreements for the coal plant in Puttalam were signed at last in 2005. This was not able to be implemented due to the protests of the Church.

In year 2006, President Mahinda Rajapaksa laid the foundation stone for this project and it has become a reality with the ceremonial opening of the project in 2011.

The Lakwijaya power station constructed at Thammennawa where the native place of Kuveni tells us that the future path of civilization will be built in the coming decade.

Lakwijaya is a bridge which we can use to cross the river of financial crisis created by high cost thermal plants. It would undoubtedly provide a great contribution to empower our future.

Power and technology hand in hand

Ishara Jayawardane

Puttalam power plant

* To run as base load machine

* To generate 300 MW of power

* Cost - US $ 450 M

* Constructed by Chinese company

* Second stage commences in 2014

* Second stage to generate 600 MW

With the first stage of the Puttalam power plant coming to a conclusion the Daily News caught up with Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka to discuss issues related to Power, Energy and Technology and its bearing on Sri Lanka

Q: Can you tell us something about the opening ceremony on March 22?

A: On March 22 the Puttalam Power Plant will be commissioned and 300MW of power will be transmitted and distributed. It will be the largest single machine we have and it will be actually run as a base load machine that means 24 hours continuous running. It is a great asset to our system because our system now is about 2,500MW capacity. By adding this it may increase to 2,800MW. The peak demand is around 2,000MW now. And also it is relatively cheap compared to the oil fuel plants and we hope that by 2014 we will be able to commission the second stage as well, which will generate 600MW. So altogether it is 900MW of Coal power. The loan of 450 million US dollars comes from the Chinese Government and it is constructed by a Chinese company called CMEC. We have no coal plants here. So it is a new experience and new technology to us. So we have to train our people. After commissioning it and after a reliability run it will be completed and the CEB will take over the maintenance and operation from this Chinese Company.

Q: In addition to the generation of electricity this project has brought about other benefits such as infrastructural improvements like road development. Also as a result of this project some people had lost lands and were displaced. Can you please tell us about the impact of the project on the development of the region and what kind of measures the government has taken to help the displaced?

A: The roads and also resettlements have been developed. We have built new houses and in the second stage we are going to build more new houses and other basic facilities for them, supplying water etc. And new activities are going on in Kalpitiya such as tourism. Land prices have also increased. This second stage will generate 600MW. As for the displaced, they have been resettled. Their livelihood has been completely restored.

Q: The Puttalam project was scheduled to be completed only in 2012. However the completion of the project was accelerated and it is going to be finished in 2011. What are the benefits of this acceleration?

A: We are now using very high cost Thermal Plants. Sometimes we use an energy unit per Rs 52. On average it is about Rs 19. Using this plant we can generate and distribute energy, at consumer’s rate at about Rs 14. So there is a clear difference. So we can simply replace our high cost thermal plants by using this.

Q: You have plans to introduce nuclear energy to Sri Lanka. With the recent tsunami in Japan people have serious doubts about going for nuclear energy in Sri Lanka. What are your views?

A: That is true after the tsunami and the devastation it actually hampered the renewed nuclear renaissance. After Chernobyl many plants were affected. After 2000, a new renaissance began. Everywhere, nuclear power would be the option for two reasons.

* The high cost of fossil fuels specially oil coal and sometimes electricity.

* Burning fossil fuels cause another serious problem called global warming.

Because of global warming many serious environmental calamities can happen. We have experienced droughts, floods and melting ice caps. Because of the melting ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctic, the shape of the whole planet is changing. So in order to readjust itself these tectonic plates collide with each other causing these eruptions. That is what happened in New Zealand and Japan. Now this pattern can be accelerated because of global warming. So a serious international opinion was to cut the emission level. But the developed world does not have a kind of energy source to power their development and their economic growth. So nuclear energy was the option. That was how the nuclear renaissance began but after this incident there was serious opposition to nuclear energy. In Sri Lanka we are not safe because there are a few nuclear plants in India. So if something happens to these plants it may affect us. Whether we are going to have this kind of nuclear plant or not, we are now vulnerable to nuclear type disasters if any accidents were to happen.

Q: In 2004, a tsunami hit Sri Lanka and earthquakes are now frequent than before in the past. Sooner or later we might have to get nuclear power. What measures can be taken to prevent things like the Japanese disaster?

A: Japan is located very close to four tectonic plates. So they are located in an eruption area. Also in Indonesia four tectonic plates meet in Java as well. Here in Sri Lanka we are not located close by this tectonic boundary. We are in the middle of the Indian tectonic plate, that is why we are very much safe from these tsunamis.

On the other hand this Japanese plant is very old; it is 40 years old and they were planning to decommission this plant. Unfortunately the tsunami hit before it was decommissioned. They designed it to resist a 8.5 Richter scale earthquake. This time it was 8.9. The chain reaction inside the reactor is a very fast reaction within a few milliseconds the temperature may have risen to over 2,200 centigrade. This can melt down any kind of material.