Govt aims at strengthening CEB - Patali

Ridma Dissanayake

The government policy is to transform the CEB into a strong state institution which will not ruin the country and burden the people, said Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka.

He said he would effect changes in the management of the CEB and LECO. Measures are taken to make them gain a high reputation among the public, he said. The minister said during the severe drought experienced last year, the CEB was able to overcome the power crisis and provide an uninterrupted electricity supply for the industrial and service sectors as well as the public and thereby strengthened the country's economy. "If the CEB did not act in a pragmatic manner, the country would have fallen into the plight experienced in 2001 where there was a daily eight hour power cut to tide over the situation, he said

The CEB did not purchase electricity from a private sector at exorbitant rates like in the past and as a result saved nearly Rs 17,000 million to the exchequer, the minister said.

He said the Heta Venuven Ada energy conservation programme launched by the ministry from April to June last year, helped the CEB and LECO to save 91.8 gigawatt hours with the help of consumers. "This was a saving of Rs. 4,380 million." He said under the second stage of this programme, 56.4 gigawatt hours was saved from October to November last year. He requested electricity consumers to replace filament bulbs with CFL bulbs to save more electricity as it would help effect a saving.