The trade unions point out that there could be a 24-hour power cut in the future due to the improper management of the current government and the CEB.
The General Secretary of the Ceylon Electricity Board Ranjan Jayalal says that hydropower generation will be completely cut off in the future. He says that the reservoirs used to generate electricity will not have enough water capacity for the rest of this year and even if it rains, they will not be able to store enough water for a month.
Ranjan Jayalal points out that although all the reservoirs were filled due to the recent heavy rains, the water capacity was not sufficient for even two weeks and the reservoirs were overflowing with silt.
The CEB is not prepared for any alternative course of action, although it should be prepared as the rains usually reach a minimum period of five years. Generating electricity using diesel is now in crisis and the only option left is to meet the demand from coal-fired power plants as much as possible. However, there are occasional breakdowns at the Norochcholai coal power plant and the purchase of coal has also gone into crisis.
Jayalal says that despite all the warnings to the electricity authorities to prepare alternative measures to prevent the country from going dark, they are not ready to heed it and in this situation, an era will dawn in which the whole country will be left without electricity for 24 hours.
