|
|
Blind men and a white elephant
Wednesday, 29 August 2012 - 1:33 PM SL Time
 Share On Facebook
|
|
|
Lakvijaya is likely to enter the Guinness Book of World Records as the most repaired power plant in the world. That may be some consolation for the hapless Sri Lankans who have had to cough up a whopping sum of USD 1.3 billion for the mega project.
Nobody seems to know what has really gone wrong with Lakvijaya (Norochcholai) power plant. There seems to be a jinx on it as we argued the other day. Vice Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Anura Wijepala recently told this newspaper that the Chinese contractor had used substandard equipment and, therefore, some parts of the plant were corroded. Minister of Power and Energy Champika Ranawaka apparently does not subscribe to this view, if his statements on the Norochcholai imbroglio are any indication. He has sought to attribute it to what he calls the hasty construction of the power station. His gobbledygook defies comprehension. CEB engineers` mumbo jumbo is equally incomprehensible, to say the least. The Chinese experts who were rushed here to inspect the plant have reportedly blamed its failure on overuse without maintenance. It is also claimed in some quarters that sabotage cannot be ruled out.
In trying to identify the defects of the ailing power plant, all these experts are doing just like the proverbial blind men who tried to figure out the shape of an elephant and drew their own conclusions based on the parts of the animal they happened to touch, the only difference being that the Norochcholai elephant is WHITE. They are groping in the dark while the people are cursing the CEB for daily load-shedding. The government is making a desperate attempt to attract foreign investment and the power crisis could not have come at a worse time.
The duration of power cuts is getting extended. People who will have to pay back the huge loan have a right to know what is wrong with the sick coal giant, how the government is going to put it right and, above all, when.
The CEB keeps setting and extending deadlines for the completion of repairs to Norochcholai power station, and as for a time frame the Chinese experts remain noncommittal. Mum`s the word on the part of Minister Ranawaka, who is otherwise very vociferous. At this rate, it will take a month of Sundays for the defects of the plant to be identified let alone rectified. Power cuts seem to be the dividends people are getting on their colossal investment! However, they have no alternative but to grin and bear it.
One of our readers has rightly questioned the government`s wisdom of going ahead with the remaining phases of the Norochcholai power project as the first phase has already failed to all intents and purposes. We couldn`t agree with him more! A rethink is called for. This is a matter that requires extreme circumspection and the government had better tread cautiously, avoiding its past mistakes.
Lakvijaya is expected to generate 900 MW when all three phases are completed. The question is whether we will be able to achieve that goal as the plant is already struggling, unable to produce even 300 MW consistently. It is time the government took up the issue with the Chinese contractor and probed the CEB Vice Chairman`s serious allegation.
The government boasted on Monday that seven more villages had been electrified. Rural areas need electricity, which is a prerequisite for development, but politically motivated electrification projects will serve little purpose unless the government steps up power generation to meet the increasing demand for electricity. It looks as if we were moving towards a situation where all villages will be electrified, but the whole country will be without electricity.
|
|
|
|
Search All News and Discussions