Power games
View(s):P edris Appo, short for Appuhamy who is a retired agriculture expert now involved in farming, was furious.
“If we don’t pay the bills, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will cut our power. Now the CEB is not paying the bills (to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation – CPC),” he said, one morning.
His grouse was that there were intermittent power cuts which appeared to have been triggered by non-payment of bills by the CEB for the supply of fuel from the CPC. This was, however, strenuously denied by the authorities while the Treasury stepped in to loan the money to the CPC to pay off its debt.
As I was speaking to Pedris Appo, I could hear snatches of the conversation under the Margosa tree where Kussi Amma Sera, Serapina and Mabel Rasthiyadu had gathered for their usual morning tea-time get-together.
“Paan mila vadikarala neda (Bread prices have gone up),” said Serapina.
“Mehema ganan vadi karapuwahama, kohomda minisunta daraganna puluwan (How are people to cope with rising prices),” asked Kussi Amma Sera.
“Amarui…hari amarui (Difficult, very difficult),” noted Mabel Rasthiyadu.
Continuing the conversation with Pedris Appo, the discussion turned to the crisis in the energy sector where despite the advent of various sources of renewable energy, the country was still struggling in the power sector.
While Sri Lanka has an abundance of sunlight throughout the year, energy generated from solar power is still on the low side. In fact, all forms of mini hydros and renewable energy including solar and wind only represent slightly over 17 per cent of the country’s total energy requirements.
A bigger problem is the clash between CEB engineers and the authorities in a tussle over coal power, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy resources. The Power and Energy Minister has always had battles with CEB engineers on the country’s energy requirements. It’s no different with the current Minister Ravi Karunanayake who is battling the CEB hierarchy over the acquisition of emergency power, with CEB engineers accusing the authorities of corruption in these deals.
While those power games continue, the battle between the energy regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) and the CEB has led to calls for a change in policy and for the PUCSL’s mandate to be clipped to enable the CEB to go ahead with its plans. This would be unfortunate as the PUCSL also represents the public interest and that trust should not be broken.
Consumers are on the warpath. According to news reports, an organisation called the Electricity Consumers’ Association is trying to mobilise public support against proposed amendments to the Electricity Act. This is because the proposed amendments are to enable power purchase approvals and electricity tariffs to be decided by the Minister of Power and Energy, removing the right of the PUCSL which is currently entrusted with this mandate.
For the record, the government’s objective is to increase Sri Lanka’s power generation capacity from the existing 4,043 MW to 6,900 MW by 2025, in which the share of renewable energy will significantly increase, according to state sector plans.
Currently, electricity is generated through three main sources: Thermal power (which includes coal and fuel oil), hydropower and other non-conventional renewable energy sources (solar power and wind power), according to official data.
According to this data, from 2018-2037, Sri Lanka plans to add 842 MW of major hydro, 215 MW of mini hydro, 1,389 MW of solar, 1,205 MW of wind, 85 MW of biomass, 425 MW of oil-based power, 1,500 MW of natural gas and 2,700 MW of coal power to the electricity generation structure. The annual total electricity demand is about 14,150 GWh, according to state sector plans.
Back to the conversation with Pedris Appo: “I don’t know why we can’t increase the generation of power from sunlight. It is there right through the year and we just have to tap this source,” he said. “I agree but what appears to be the problem is that while we have small, private solar power plants spread across the country, the initial expenditure to instal larger plants is very high,” I said.
Indeed the government’s net metering programme where home and corporate users instal individual solar power panels which is then connected to the main grid has been successful. There is also a programme under which a payment is made if there is any excess power from self-generated power in homes and private sector organisations.
This programme is called the ‘Surya-bala-sangrama’ and aims to have self-generating solar power units in a million homes. Under this programme, if the generated units of electricity using the solar panels are greater than the amount one consumes, the customer will be paid Rs. 22 per unit during the first seven years and from the eighth year they will be paid Rs. 15.50 per unit. This scheme is called Net Accounting.
“The government needs to further promote solar power generation in homes with more incentives since this is a programme that many people will invest in as its virtually free power generated from sunlight,” said Pedris Appo.
“You’re absolutely right. If the initial cost of installation of solar power panels is brought down, there will definitely be more subscribers to this scheme,” I said. “We need to reach out to at least 20 to 30 per cent of the population to get them to use self-generated solar power,” he added.
The problem, however, lies in approvals and implementation of these plans. With the PUCSL, the CEB and the Power and Energy Ministry at loggerheads, very little can be done to progressively move forward in the energy sector. Mounting debt by the CEB in non-payment or delayed payment for the supply of fuel from the CPC further complicates progress.
As I wind up my conversation with Pedris Appo on the power and energy needs in Sri Lanka, Kussi Amma Sera walks in with a second cup of tea, saying: “Mahattaya kame lasthei (the food is ready).” I thank her and prepare to be energised by breakfast, wishing for the power games to stop and the country to move forward with a sellable solution to the power crisis.