The CeyLon Electricity Board(CEB) has been directed by the Energy Ministry to add more renewable energy as there was existing capacity of the main power grid and therefore new power generation amounting to 1,000 megawatts can be added to the grid.
The Government has set a target to generate 70% of the total electricity demand from renewable energy sources. The potential is already there to generate nearly 700 MW of electricity from solar energy, CEB Additional General Manager (Transmission) P.W. Hendahewa disclosed.
CEB gas to spend Rs.100 to generate a unit of electricity using petroleum and more than Rs.50 using coal,.DamithaKumarasinghe, Director General of the Public Utilities Commission said more than US$ 300 billion can be saved annually if renewable energy sources were used instead.
Thermal power generation costs more than USD 100 million a month. But it will be a difficult task to supply electricity at current prices, CEB officials said.
However, the public opinion was that it has not been made to add solar energy to the national grid due to technical issues and the opposition of the CEB engineers.
Despite the the government’s move to promote renewable energy ,the workers of the renewable energy sector claim that the CEB has withheld monies due, to the tune of Rs. 23 billion .. Due to this, 7000 workers and their families are on the verge of losing their jobs and homes, they added. .
Workers of the renewable energy (RE) sector on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) head office in Colombo warning non-payment of Rs. 23 billion putting thousands of jobs at stake
Speaking to the media, All Island Minihydro Power Generators spokesman Ruwan Pranga said the protest made by the workers of the renewable energy sector opposite the CEB is to stress the seriousness of their situation.
They demanded some redress for 7000 worker families who are on the brink of being made destitute due to the non-settlement of housing and other loans.
“As banks are demanding the instalments on their housing loans which cannot be met, now the auctioning of their homes is a very real threat,” he added.
Even though their salaries and allowances have been reduced due to this situation the RE sector has kept the plants running and producing power as it is of national importance to the country.
“If this sector which produces 12% of the power was to close down, the Government will have to fill this gap by importing Diesel to generate this power to fill the gap at the cost of Rs. 72.26 whereas we supply a unit of power at Rs. 16.26 they said.
If the situation is not put right soon, we will have no other choice but to resort to legal action,” Pranga said.
