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Quenching
Lanka's growing thirst for power In the backdrop where Sri Lanka is facing a severe power crisis, the 100 mega watt power plant would be generating a colossal 700 million units per year, which would be ten percent of the total power generated in the country. Power and Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha, on March 11 in response to a question raised in Parliament, said the construction of the fuel-fired power plant, was almost complete and its commercial operations were expected to begin in April. Ace Power Generation Embilipitiya (Pvt) Ltd a susidiary of Aitken Spence is to operate the power plant for ten years and then transfer it to the Ceylon Electricity Board on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. The company maintains that it had complied with Central Environmental Authority (CEA) guidelines and other necessary regulations despite allegations, raised by environmental and other groups. Minister Premajayantha during a visit to Washington D.C. in August last year, met Caterpillar Power Ventures Corporation, who had entered into the US$ 60 million joint venture power generation project with Ace Power Generation Embilipitiya (Pvt) Ltd. Embilipitiya Divisional Secretary, Harsha Ilukpitiya told The Sunday Times that the public was offered the chance to voice their objections during November last year but not a single complaint was received by the Secretariat or by any other Government institution. He alleged that although a newly set up organization behind these protests had been invited on numerous occasions to attend environmental monitoring committee meetings and for field visits, they hardly attended. However Embilipitiya Bar Association secretary Premasiri Abeysooriya and the environment friendly people's organisation president who were lobbying against the power plant told The Sunday Times that people were protesting as it had been built without creating a proper awareness among the people. "Several questions were raised about the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), but none of the questions were answered either by the company or by the Government", Mr. Abeysooriya said. "Interested parties had misled the authorities citing that the surroundings are sparsely populated and that there's no wildlife. Also nothing about the paper mill has been mentioned in the EIA." Mr. Abeysooriya said the buying price of one unit was not revealed, which was confirmed by the Minister when he said the company had not quoted the price of a unit while other firms sold a unit at Rs. 9.9 or higher. Since its inception in September 2004, the environment friendly people's organisation had organized various protests and had even written to President Chandrika Kumaratunga but had received no response up to now. K.D.D. Athukorala, a chemist attached to the Embilipitiya Paper mill told The Sunday Times that the plant would consume 450,000 liters of fuel which contained 2.7 percent sulphur and would emit 30 tons of harmful acidic gases (sulphurous and nitrous gases) to the atmosphere each day, thus making the area within a radius of 10 kilometres prone to acid rains. "Using statistics given in the EIA, in ten years of operation the residents in the area will suffer from skin diseases and the vegetation would be destroyed by the acidic environment", Mr. Athukorala said. Nandasiri Pathirana, President of the Chandrika Wewa Farmers' Association told The Sunday Times that they had been lobbying since 1993 when the idea was originally put forward, but the Government had turned a deaf ear to their pleas. However Embilipitiya power plant project coordinator Joe de Silva told The Sunday Times that 95 per cent of the project was completed although only a handful of villagers raised objections. He said the company had spent more than 25 million rupees for the electrification of the area and another 30 million rupees was spent on road development. It had also distributed 1,000 spectacles and had even held two medical clinics. He said the company expected to allocate a considerable sum of money annually for the development of the area. Mr. de Silva further said that as all necessary clearances were obtained from the Government the project would go ahead as planned. At its optimum operation the plant would generate 700 million units each year, Mr. Silva added. The Company had earlier set up two 20 MW plants at Matara and Horana which had brought in a revenue of 1.7 billion rupees and had accounted for 24% of the group's revenue. Meanwhile M. H. Deepal (38), a shop keeper in the area told The Sunday Times the power plant would create a lot of problems in the area. "After its operations began a thin coating of oil could be seen on the surface of the Chandrika Weva, from which we obtain water for our consumption as well as for cultivation. Villagers are not against the plant as 700 youth in the village have been given employment in the plant and earn about rupees 30,000 per month. But when they lose their jobs after the construction work is over they will then realise it", Mr. Deepal said. Another shopkeeper H. Sanath (42) who had been a resident since 1984, said the company had deceived people by promising to give electricity, water and even financial help. "Even for a small plot of land they paid compensations of upto fifty thousand rupees. They give money to silence our voice", he said. 28-year-old Upul Ranjith told The Sunday Times around 40 per cent of the youth were being employed and face threat of losing their jobs. He said that however 99 percent of the villagers were against the power plant. Meanwhile Power and Energy Ministry secretary P. Weerahandi said the Embilipitiya plant was essential for the overall power generation in the country and these protests against it started once 90 per cent of the project was completed and that he suspects a hidden hand was trying to provoke the people. |
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