The release of fuel has to be restricted due to the limited fuel reserves at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO), said Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila. In the backdrop, the amount of fuel released on a daily basis has been limited to 50 per cent of the total demand, the Minister revealed.
This is the main reason for the shortage of fuel in several areas of the country, he added.
Pointing out that fuel imports have also been suspended amid the dollar deficit, Gammanpila revealed that no payment has been made for the vessel that carried diesel to the Colombo Port. The required amount to pay off the vessel, US$ 35 million, has not been found yet, the Energy Minister confessed.
As of now, the supply of fuel for electricity generation has been restricted and the daily supply of diesel has been limited to 1000 metric tonnes. Gammanpila went on saying that even that volume of fuel is being given only to the Kelanitissa Sojist Power Plant, which is legally bound to the CEYPETCO.
MIAP
