By Ifham Nizam
Frequent breakdowns at the country’s first coal fired power plant at Norachcholai, forced the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) yesterday to take up the matter strongly with its builder the China Machinery and Engineering Corporation (CMEC).
CEB Acting Chairman, Electrical Engineer, Anura Wijepala told The Island that according to his estimation it would take at least ten more days to repair the plant after the latest breakdown which occurred on Jan. 21.
The CEB Chief has now requested the Chinese firm to give in writing when it would complete repairs.
The Chairman said it would cost the CEB on average Rs. 80 million a day to meet the power shortfall caused by the Norochcholai plant with costly thermal electricity. He said due to such breakdowns, the CEB would now be going for a contractual option with the plant builder to take remedial action.
Wijepala said that discussions were on with Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, Ministry Secretary, M.M.C. Fernando and engineers to appoint a committee to probe the causes of frequent break downs of the plant.
The Norochcholai coal-fired power plant was built by China under a US$ 450 million credit line from China Export Import Bank.
The plant providing 300 megawatts to the national grid, commenced operations in March 2011.
Prior to the latest breakdown, the plant was out of service for a week and it resumed generation of electricity from the first week of January.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=44747
No comments:
Post a Comment