Columns

In 1976 when the then Power and Irrigation Minister Maitripala Senanayake laid the foundation stone for the Polgolla dam as the first phase of the Mahaweli Diversion Programme, he spoke of the possible export of electricity to India when the entire Mahaweli Diversion Programme was completed in 30 years.

The programme was however accelerated during the time of President J. R. Jayewardene and was completed in five years.

Maitripala Senanayake was not a politician who would have made such grandiose claims for cheap publicity unless it was part of the long term vision of those who conceptualised the project.

Of course the consumption of electricity increased considerably in the country with the rapid expansion of industry and large electrification programmes which resulted in many households obtaining electricity over the years.

These developments may have resulted in ambitious expectations of exporting electricity to our giant neighbour being put on hold with the increasing domestic demand. But it is difficult to imagine that a country which was brimming with these intentions could today be subject to continuous power cuts adding to the woes of a people struggling to stay afloat in the midst of an economic downturn.

In addition to these power outages there are reports that there are likely to be increases in electricity tariffs in the near future. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB)  is reported to have incurred huge losses over the years and the increase in tariffs is being looked at with a view to minimising these losses.

The Government for its part has a variety of explanations for the blackouts, ranging from the dollar shortage to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic has adversely effected economies of many countries all the evidence shows that Sri Lanka’s power problem is the result of more than a decade of corruption and inept power system management.

Over the years there has been reference to mafias that exist in the power and energy sector that prevent reorganisation of this sector to meet the needs of the country. However, pretty little has been done to tame these mafias and the consumer eventually has to pay for the inaction of the authorities.

Even the former head of Litro Gas spoke of the mafias that have taken control of the Gas sector but again no action has been taken and the suffering undergone by people in their efforts to obtain regular supplies of cooking gas is on display for all to see.

The Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Janaka Ratnayake has issued a report early this year that sets out in detail everything that has gone wrong in the country’s renewable energy sector.

Experts have discussed the importance of tapping solar and wind power to obtain power for the national grid thus reducing reliance on thermal power and thereby reducing the costs of electricity but the efforts to implement these ideas have often come a cropper.

The search for different forms of renewable energy creates the ideal climate for corruption. Corruption is one of the biggest threats to renewable energy and stands as an obstacle to the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. After decades of benefitting from the lucrative oil, fossil fuel companies and governments of producer countries are now hampering efforts to move away from fossil fuels.

Writing in the Daily Mirror of April 7, 2022 Piyumi Fonseka states: “ Analysts anticipate that a global shift to renewables such as solar and wind will support developing countries to strengthen their economies. Alternative energy has a low environmental impact as well. The Paris Agreement, a binding pact that requires states to make specific pledges to reduce climate change, has been signed by nearly 200 countries, including Sri Lanka.”

She also points out although 400 MW of renewable energy projects were scheduled to be constructed between 2015 and 2020, only the 100 MW Mannar wind power plant was completed in 2021.

She also draws attention to the fact that calling tenders for the several large-scale renewable power plants approved by the CEB in 2017 was delayed for five years. The tender process was yet to commence in 2022.

Another area in which allegations of corruption abound is with regard to the purchase of emergency power. The CEB has made 17 requests to the PUCSL during the period from 2017 to 2022 to purchase emergency power and 16 of them were declined by the Commission.

The time is ripe to take a long and hard look at the electricity sector. If serious reforms take place it can not only eventually bring about relief for the consumer but also reduce its burdensome effect on the national economy. (javidyusuf@gmail.com)