There will be a 12-hour power cut

Public Utility Commission Chairman Mr. Janaka Ratnayake said today (22) afternoon that if coal is not imported for electricity generation, there will be a 10 or 12 hour power cut.

Mr. Rathnayake said that the current reserve of 250,000 metric tons of coal in the country is sufficient only until the 28th of October, and also mentioned that 5000 metric tons of coal per day is needed to operate the two power generators in Norochchole.

Mr. Ratnayake said that without coal, 900 megawatts of electricity will be lost to the national grid and coal generates about 35 percent of the electricity requirement.

The chairman also mentioned that despite the coal tender being awarded to the company that submitted the lowest bid, the situation has become serious because the company that received the tender refused to supply coal due to the fact that another company has entered into a court action.

Mr. Rathnayake said that in order to get rid of this situation, 21 million dollars is needed to bring a coal ship every five days.