About 400,000 seek electricity connections

Sandasen Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige

About 400,000 people are waiting for electricity connections from the national grid, Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said in Parliament yesterday.

He said that the Ceylon Electricity Board has sold 7,445 million units of electricity upto September in this year.

The minister said that another 150MW will be added to the national grid in December with the commissioning of the Upper Kotmale power plant.

He added that another 600MW to be generated from the Norochchole coal power plant lifting the total capacity of the plant to 900MW with the completion of constructions in the plant.

The contribution of Sampur and Broadland power plants will also improve the capacity of the national grid, he said. The minister stated that the electricity demand in the country will be fulfilled without a shortage and attention is given to promote alternative energy resources to meet this end.

The minister was responding to a question raised by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake.

He also observed that the electricity tariff has not been increased after 2008 for the consumers who use less than 90 units.