Energy – CEBEU

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is now in for systematic restructuring process by unbundling it into eight separate corporate entities for power generation, transmission, and distribution, a recent board paper on the administration specified. Workers are protesting the move.

The board paper indicated that it plans to reduce massive losses of the CEB by transforming it into efficient profit making institution by setting up these entities under eight new general managers.

These entities will undertake functions of the CEB relating to hydro electricity, thermal electricity, coal power and non renewable power generation, distribution, and other activities of CEB as well as Lanka Electricity Company (LECO). A new Electricity Reforms Bill will be drafted and presented in Parliament soon to regularise the restructuring process, a senior official of the Ministry of Power said.

According to the board paper the CEB has been incurring losses due to the purchase of electricity at higher prices and selling it to consumers at lower prices, he added.

The total loss of the board due to non-collection of electricity bills during the last few months as a result of the country’s lockdown was Rs. 90 billion.

He also stated that the CEB had not received Rs. 28.40 billion due to non-payment of bills last September.

A sum of Rs. 70 billion a month was collected from electricity consumers in bill payments and due to the relief given to consumers to pay their bills during the last epidemic period, while the CEB has to recover Rs. 17 billion from hotels and industrialists alone, he pointed out

President of the Engineers’ Association Saumya Kumarawadu told the Business Times that their union in collaboration with other trade unions would take strong action against the appointment of eight general managers.

The board has failed to increase the generation capacity in the recent past to meet the growing demand by implementing any mega power plants including large scale renewable energy projects in the recent past even after the President’s green energy was announced, he pointed out.

The CEB has a staff of 23,000 inclusive of over 1,400 professionals and unions are continuing their agitation against the government’s initiatives of entering into power deals including the controversial Yugadanavi LNG power project and attempts to privatise the institution under the cover of restructuring, he added.

The unbundling will also provide an opportunity for the government to get rid of the majority of staff giving them a golden handshake, the trade union leader alleged.

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/211128/business-times/ceb-plans-to-divide-to-8-units-amidst-protests-463067.html

ECONOMYNEXT – The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), Sri Lanka’s state-run refiner, says more clarity on government energy policy and fuel mix is needed given planned upgrades to oil infrastructure costing over US$2 billion.

“Before we embark on new projects we should know our energy policy. Then we can plan our own investments,” said CPC chairman Dammika Ranatunga.

“As a country, we have to have our energy policy in which the energy mix should be incorporated,” he told Economynext.com in an interview.

The CPC, which has just completed a 35-day overhaul at its 50,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery at Sapugaskanda, is in the midst of upgrading petroleum infrastructure which had been neglected for decades.

Ranatunga said the maintenance work, which takes place every three years to monitor and replace critical parts of the plant needed to run at optimum levels, had improved efficiency and productivity at the refinery.

But more clarity on government plans for its energy sector was needed given ongoing and planned infrastructure improvements that will cost a few billion dollars.

The CPC is considering at least doubling the capacity of its refinery to 100,000 bpd or more at an estimated cost of about $2.5 billion.

It is also building more storage tanks and replacing decades-old pipelines, prone to leaks, linking the refinery and tanks with oil unloading terminals in Colombo port that will also cost several tens of millions of dollars.

Ranatunga said proposals for large-scale adoption of natural gas in the island’s energy sector, to exploit recently-discovered offshore gas reserves, needed to be thought through carefully to ensure best returns on petroleum investments being made now.

The government has said it is also considering building import terminals for liquefied natural gas until the Mannar Basin gas reserves become commercially recoverable.

“If we convert to LNG, what about investments we made for petroleum?”

Ranatunga asked, noting that the CPC built pipelines to supply a thermal power plant at Kerawalapitiya costing spent $60 million.

Sudden changes in the fuel mix could made it difficult to recover existing investments, he said, noting that countries like the United States and China were making the conversion to cleaner fuels only gradually.

“We need to be careful when we put money into certain things,” Ranatunga said. “There’s no point in me investing in (petroleum) pipelines if in the future we are going for LNG.”

Proper feasibility studies were needed before deciding on the energy mix, including financial and safety aspects, since handling, storing and transporting different types of fuels needed different infrastructure and safety procedures.

“Petrol and LNG are both inflammable but burn differently. Do we have the fire fighting capacity to handle the situation. If not, what investment do we need to make?”
(COLOMBO, May 09, 2018)
http://www.economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_state_refiner_mulls_investments_amid_energy_policy_changes-3-10585-8.html

Tag: Energy

Sunday TIMES – CEB plans to divide to 8 units amidst protests

Sri Lanka state refiner mulls investments amid energy policy changes

Ranatunga asked, noting that the CPC built pipelines to supply a thermal power plant at Kerawalapitiya costing spent $60 million.

Sudden changes in the fuel mix could made it difficult to recover existing investments, he said, noting that countries like the United States and China were making the conversion to cleaner fuels only gradually.

“We need to be careful when we put money into certain things,” Ranatunga said. “There’s no point in me investing in (petroleum) pipelines if in the future we are going for LNG.”