Several years’ delay caused CEB annual loss of Rs. 9.8 Bn – Kanchana

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera told Parliament yesterday that the country had lost a massive amount of money due to delays in the construction and commissioning of the Uma Oya hydropower plant.

This has resulted in an annual loss of Rs 9.8 billion for the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The Uma Oya project adds 120 megawatts of electricity to the national grid annually. The Minister also said that there are no reports of environmental damage due to the project.

“The delays in the construction and commissioning of the hydropower plant due to various politically motivated protests have caused a loss of Rs. 9.8 billion per annum to the CEB. The hydropower plant project was scheduled to be commissioned in December 2015.”

The Minister said this while replying to the question raised by MP Gamini Waleboda that although the Uma Oya project has increased the capacity of the national grid and the CEB has received a profit, what is the truth of the opinion that the environment has been damaged due to this project.

The Minister said that the electricity that was to be produced from hydropower had to be produced using diesel or fuel oil and accordingly it costs Rs. 80 to Rs.100 to produce a unit.

The Minister said that there will be another revision of electricity tariffs in July. Even though the country is in financial difficulty, the government has allocated funds to complete the Uma Oya project.

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