President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered immediate steps to be taken to avert a total blackout in the country.
The President has informed the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) and the general public that all the necessary steps will be taken to avert an electricity crisis.
PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said the President has informed the Treasury and the Central Bank to facilitate the import of fuel for the generation of electricity with immediate effect.
Massive 7 1/2 hour power cuts have been given the go ahead by the PUCSL.
PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said that they were compelled to approve the 7 1/2 hour power cuts as there is no sufficient fuel to operate the electricity generators.
He said that the 7 1/2 hour power cuts will be enforced today (Wednesday) for 5 hours in the day and 2 1/2 hours at night.
Accordingly, the power cuts will be enforced for 5 hours according to a schedule between 8am and 6pm and between 6pm and 11pm.
“There is nothing we can do about this,” Ratnayake said at a media briefing today.
He said that the power cut is expected to have a major impact on the public.
However, Ratnayake said that since the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) does not have fuel to operate the generators at full capacity the situation is beyond their control.
Meanwhile the Government has offered a Dubai based company a long term contract for petrol.
The Government said that bids had been invited from registered suppliers and temporarily registered suppliers for a long term contract for the importation of 1.8 million barrels of petrol (92 Unl) for a period of 8 months from 2022.02.15 to 2022.10.14.
In accordance with the recommendations of the Cabinet appointed procurement committee, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal presented by the Minister of Energy to award the long term contract to OQ Trading Limited in the United Arab Emirates.
OQ is a global integrated energy company with roots in Oman – operating in 17 countries around the world and covering the entire value chain from exploration and production to marketing and distribution of end-user products.
Their fuels and chemicals are sold in over 60 countries worldwide, making us a prominent player in the energy sector.
