24.3.16
Sri Lanka is
to seek assistance and support from China to operate the country's main
power plant, a Deputy Minister said on Wednesday.
Deputy Minister of Power and Energy Ajith Perera told Xinhua that the government would soon discuss the matter with China.
Sri Lankan's power sector has been
facing a crisis in recent months with three nationwide power failures
reported since September last year.
The latest country-wide breakdown was
reported on March 13, with power cut off for more than seven hours, the
longest in 20 years.
The failure occurred due to an explosion
in an electricity transformer on the outskirts of the capital which
prompted authorities to initiate an immediate probe.
Days later, another substation in
Kotugoda, also on the suburbs of the capital, caught fire after
exploding, plunging parts of the country into darkness.
On Monday, the government announced that
experts from Japan and Germany were investigating the cause of the
latest power failure and Japanese technicians had conducted tests on the
state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) transformers which exploded.
The government said they had sent samples to Japan for further tests.
"We are awaiting the outcome of these
investigations by the international and local experts and once we
receive that, the government will set a specific agenda on what to do in
the future to avoid such power failures," Perera said.
Soon after that, he added, the
government will hold discussions with the Chinese government to seek
assistance and support to operate the Norochcholai Power Plant.
Sri Lanka has already deployed army at
all power installations and substations after suspicions were raised
that the power failure earlier this month could have been an act of
sabotage. (xinhuanet)
