The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) yesterday sought permission from the Public Utilities Commission to cut off power for a period of 2 to 9 hours daily. It is to be decided today whether it will be allowed or not.
The Chairman of the Commission Janaka Ratnayake stated at a media briefing yesterday that permission will be granted for the power cut after inspecting the condition of the power plants.
He pointed out that the failure to build power plants for several years to meet future electricity demand was a major reason for the current power crisis, adding that the commission had been warning the government about this since 2016. However, he says they failed to heed those warnings.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission urges the people to use electricity as sparingly as possible. He also points out that power outages can be minimized if the use of high capacity appliances such as air conditioners and fans is limited as much as possible.