Hit By Power Shortages, Sri Lanka Outlines Tough Conservation Measures

No need for scheduled daily power cuts in the next three months if conservation measures are followed, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has said. It’s a tough ask though. Bulk supply consumers will have to use generators during peak hours, apartment dwellers who wish to use air conditioners between 6 pm and 10 pm will have to use private generators and all government institutions must cut down on daily power consumption by 80 per cent. Through these measures, the regulator hopes to add 300 MW to the national grid. Since the beginning of this year, the island nation has been plagued by a shortage of electricity due to a host of factors—breakdown of a thermal power plant unit, depleting water reserves that have hit hydropower generation and fuel shortages. It’s an issue Sri Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris mentioned in an interview to StratNews Global during his recent India visit. “If we could connect with the Indian electricity grid, it would be enormously beneficial. The Ceylon Electricity Board is able to generate 4300 MW but NTPC generates about 60,000 MW every day.”