Battle for power

By Tharuka Dissanaike

Is it fair?- bold letters spelt out in black and white, lit erally, jumped out of last Saturday's (19) newspapers. Is it fair, the full page advertisement asked, to leave 50% of the country in darkness? Is it fair to spread 'false propaganda' and 'mislead innocent people' ?

For the first time, the Ceylon Electricity Board was driven to such desperation that they had to launch an aggressive advertising campaign in defence of the coal power plant at Noraichcholai. Their timing was not ad hoc. That very Saturday, a large gathering of people, largely Catholics from the Western belt, listened as the Bishop of Chilaw and the Chief Priest of the Madurankuliya temple came out, strongly vocal, against the project. Environmentalists and NGOs stepped on the stage at St. Joseph's Church Wennapuwa, voicing their concerns over the controversial power plant.

"We are merely continuing our campaign to educate the people and raise awareness of the evils of coal power," Rev. Frank Marcus Fernando, Bishop of Chilaw said.

Not to be outdone, at a press conference on Monday, Chairman CEB, Arjun Deraniyagala went on record warning the nation of peak hour power cuts beginning year 2004 if the coal power plant is delayed any further. The failure to implement this project will see a 300 MW shortage of power in the year 2004 and the country will suffer badly, Deraniyagala stated.

While the Church and CEB sink deeper into the impasse over the coal power plant, the future of the project itself lies in the hands of neither organisation. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project is now under review and the judgement is expected to be delivered mid next month. Therein lies the fate of the coal power plant.

For the CEB there is no other way. No option to coal power. The Church and environmentalists do not offer an alternative either but are just as adamant that the plant cannot be situated in Noraichcholai.

The Upper Kotmale Hydro project, which recently received the go-ahead, will be the last major hydro electric project in the country. Together the Upper Kotmale and Kukule Ganga projects will generate roughly 200 MW of electricity. With this indigenous source drying up, the CEB has been forced to look at other options to meet the growing demand for power.

Estimates, rather conservative ones at that, point to a eight to ten percent growth in demand for electricity every year. That means in ten years our present electricity demand of 1100 MW will double. How does the CEB plan to meet the demand?

"The coal power plant is central in our future plans," D.C. Wijerathne, Additional General Manager, CEB said. "Our plan is to commission the first 300 MW in 2004, the next in 2006 and 300 more in 2008."

Why coal?- because it is the most economical and feasible power supply next to hydro, he said. "We try not to depend on oil too much. There is great instability in the region which supplies oil." According to Wijerathne when the Gulf crisis first broke, the price of fuel went up by almost four times.

Only a deisel power plant of 300 MW is on line for the future.Take the coal power plant away, it leaves the CEB's generation plan in total disarray. There is no easy way to bridge the gap in demand and supply in 2004.

Wijerathne beats his fist on the table in frustration. "Remember the power cuts in 1996? That was because we were 40 MW short of demand and the drought took us by surprise. In 2004, we will be 300 MW short. We can't plug a gap like that with short term diesel generators."

But these arguments have had little affect on the protesters. The Church continues to maintain the power plant will cause sea erosion near Talawila where the famous Catholic shrine is located.

Talawila Church is where hundreds of thousands of Catholics gather in worship every July/ August and is an important shrine in the Catholic dominated western coast. The CEB said they commissioned the services of several independent experts, from Lanka Hydraulic Institute, Moratuwa University and Canada to do studies on tides and erosion off the Noraichcholai coast. They assure the Church will not be affected. "Even if there is a problem later, we will try to solve it."

Another issue raised is the resettlement of people from the project area of 160 acres. The Church, NGOs and villagers vehemently protest the evacuation of these 43 families, mostly farmers and fishermen. But the CEB's position is that they are mostly illegal settlers and will be better off in the relocation site in Daluwa, not far from Noraichchloai. Here they have promised each family a 2 acre plot and a built house or money as compensation.

The Church stands firm. The power plant cannot come to Noraichcholai. In fact coal power should be a no-no considering the extent of pollution it is known to cause.

The people of Noraichcholai, many of whom carve out more-than-sufficient income from cultivating the fertile land that surrounds the project area take a militant view about the project. Matters were not helped when in April last year a man was killed as Police opened fire during a protest in the village.

In actual fact, all these parties have little to do but wait for the EIA decision. But to add to the frustrations of the CEB, the EIA procedure adopted for the coal power plant has created a controversy of its own.

For the first time in Sri Lanka a single EIA report is being assessed by three different authorities, who are each entitled to come to their own conclusion. What happens if they deliver judgements that differ? "Then the real fun begins," a CEB official said grimly.

Under the 13th amendment, environment is a devolved subject. Which in reality means that each province can draft and enact their own regulations on environment. Therefore in addition to the Coast Conservation Department and the Ministry of Power and Energy evaluating the project, the North Western Provincial Council too will be delivering their judgement on the coal power plant. In fact the NWPC will be looking at the bulk of the project, since the CCD is merely concerned with the impact on the coastal zone and the Ministry of Power will look it from the point of view of the power transmission lines.

This has created confusion as to whether the Central Environmental Authority has power over provincial environmental bodies or if they are independent of Central Government's laws. Also looking at a project in a piecemeal fashion, as is happening today, could undermine the entire EIA procedure. There is no one authority which looks at the project and its overall impact in toto.

"Can we allow each province to have their own systems of law regarding the environment? What of the Central Government's regulations then, are they nullified by the provincial regulations?," asks Mr.Wijerathne.

Questions have already arisen on the NWPC's competency to deal with technical aspects of the coal power plant and the modern pollution control methods detailed in the report.

All three agencies have promised an answer by mid- October. "If any of them returns a negative verdict we will have to resort to appeal," Mr. Wijerathne said.

But time is the essence of the problem. If the project does not get underway this year, at least, CEB threatens dire consequences.

One of the most ill-fated projects conceived by the state, the coal power plant has had bad luck from the word go. Over a decade ago since it was first conceptualised, successive governments have failed to implement it- every site looked at was problematic. But yet the CEB tells us there is no choice in the matter. So what next?

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