Sri Lanka’s thermal power generation has risen to almost 67% of the country’s entire power generation with the advent of the dry weather conditions and lower rainfall, according to the State-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).
A senior CEB official told The Sunday Morning that hydropower generation had been curtailed to conserve the remaining water resources in the next few months, considering the ongoing dry weather conditions in the country.
The official emphasised that rainfall had now dropped to zero in most areas. Therefore, it is imperative to maintain existing reservoir capacities at a certain level and generate hydropower accordingly.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Sunday Morning, Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) President Dhanushka Parakramasinghe said: “During weekdays, around 47 GWh are consumed daily, out of which hydropower comprises around 20% and thermal power (coal and fuel) comprise around 67%, while the remainder is solar and wind contributions.”
He described this scenario as the average energy consumption at present, with minor fluctuations.
Moreover, he said that the Norochcholai power plant contributed most of this thermal power, especially since the unit cost of electricity at Lakvijaya had witnessed a minor drop given the lower prices of coal in the market.
“All three units of the Norochcholai coal power plant are operating at full capacity 24/7 and contribute around 45% of the entire power generation.”
He further explained that principles of water management entailed that lower hydropower was generated when there was lower inflow into the reservoirs, necessitating a drop in hydropower generation based on the existing reservoir capacity and the requirements for the coming months.
“Due to the lack of rains, the inflow has dropped from 15 cubic metres per minute to 3-5 cubic metres per minute, leading to a corresponding reduction in power generation,” he said.
He however assured that they did not anticipate any concerns despite the decline in hydropower at present, noting: “At the beginning of January, all reservoirs were filled to at least 95-96% of their capacities with the recent rains, ensuring a significant hydro capacity. At present, this has only dropped to around 77%. For comparison, around July last year, the levels dropped to around 14-16%, meaning it can drop up to that range. It is possible to continue in this manner until the May-June rains by managing the reservoir levels.”
Accordingly, as of Friday (1), the daily energy contribution of CEB thermal coal, CEB thermal oil, and IPP thermal oil stood at 40.42%, 11.86%, and 13.42% respectively, while the daily generation of the Laxapana, Mahaweli, and Samanala hydro complexes stood at 8.19%, 9.64%, and 3.88%, respectively.