Plant idles since last Friday’s fire

* Norachcholai costs CEB Rs. 80 mn per day

By Ifham Nizam

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) promised to resume electricity generation within hours after the latest fire broke out at the Norachcholai Power Plant in the early hours of last Friday. However, four days have passed and the plant has yet to resume production.

When we raised the matter with the authorities yesterday, we were once again informed that it would be restored within hours.

Earlier, Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said that each day the Norachcholai plant fails to function, it would cost the CEB Rs. 80 million. Thus, the loss suffered by the Board would have been Rs. 320 million by yesterday.

The plant generates six million units per day and when it is out of order in its absence the shortfall had to be met with costly thermal power.

Although, initially the Power and Energy Ministry said that the fire had not caused any major damage to the country’s first coal powered power plant, a ministry source said yesterday that the estimated damage was around Rs. 40 million.

A senior official of the Chinese firm, which built the plant, yesterday told The Island that it was run by the Ceylon Electricity Board and they merely acted as advisors.

Another local official said that he was not in a position to comment about the increasing expenditure.

When we made repeated attempts to contact Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, an aide to the Minister requested us to contact Media Secretary Danuhska Ramanayake, who said that he was in the process of checking the loss caused to the plant by the latest fire.

Energy experts wonder whether the Electrical and Fire Protection Systems were included in the original design. The Island learns that former Additional General Manager T. M. Herath, who is currently Ministry Additional Secretary of the Technical Division, was responsible for the incorporation of European standards into the plant. When contacted, we were informed that he was on an overseas tour and would return next week.

On Friday, Power and Energy Ministry officials said that there was no serious damage, but as a temporary measure the coal crushing machine was shut down. The Ministry ruled out the possibility of sabotage.

According to sources at the plant, the fire broke out in a boiler room and a stock of coal had also caught fire. The fire was subsequently brought under control. A similar thing occurred in November 29, 2011. The Power and Energy Ministry says that after the plant was commissioned there were only two fire incidents.

However, according officers in the plant, several minor fires too had erupted at the power plant since it was commissioned last year.

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