The Sri Lankan electricity board has announced it will cut the electricity supply across the country for three hours a day, after the Chinese-built Norocholai coal power plant failed for the 5th time in 16 months.
"We are facing difficulties in balancing the supply and demand," the ministry said in a statement. "The only alternative is to carry out power cuts across the country until further notice."
The drought on the island has compunded the problem in electricity supply from hydro-power plants.
During the Norocholai power plant's last failure in February, the Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka said that each day the plant wasn't in operation, cost the Ceylon Electricity Board Rs109 million in losses every day.
The power plant was built by the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMEC) who were paid by Sri Lanka using a US$450 million loan from China’s EXIM Bank.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
