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| Sunday, 28 March 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Kelanitissa blaze : sabotage not likely by ANTON NONIS The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has managed to overcome a sizeable decrease of power to the national grid which resulted from a major fire at the Kelanitissa power station in Colombo last Monday, and continues to supply electricity uninterrupted, CEB chairman, M.Zubair told the Sunday Observer that timely action taken by the Board in procuring whatever power untapped so far made relief possible. The fire had started in the 163 megawatt AES Kelanitissa generator of the AES Kelanitissa (Pvt) Ltd., which belongs to the US-based AES Corporation. Engineers said that it is a combined cycle power plant which is run on diesel fuel. The excess heat produced is made use of to run a steam turbine in the creation of 55 mw. Project Director Dave Warden said that the fire had damaged a sizeable portion of the generator, which went on to cut off a supply portion of 55 megawatts to the national grid. Warden said that a quick response by the Colombo Fire Brigade had helped them to save a large part of the generator going up in flames. "The fire was brought under control approximately, within one-and a half-hours and no one was injured," he said. Zubair said that the undamaged part of the AES generator goes on supplying a balance of nearly 110 megawatts to the grid. The other generators located at the Kelanitissa power complex are, according to Zubair, a 165 mw Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Plant (KCCP), a 110 mw GT 7 plant, six gas turbines each with a capacity of 18 mw. Asked what could have been the repercussions in the power situation in the country if the fire destroyed the whole of the 163 mw AES plant, Zubair said: "It's not a question of a generator becoming non functional which could happen due to various reasons. Our duty is to supply power to the entire country." The CEB chairman dismissed fears of any power cuts that may arise due to the damages in the AES generator. He said that there are large-size generators located in various areas, some of which are owned by companies or even private individuals. The CEB is in a position to tap any of these sources to supply power to the national grid. Chairman Zubair said that the CEB at present has a total power supply of 2100 mw including the power generated by the private companies and individuals. However, this amount is not static as fluctuations tend to occur due to various causes such as scheduled maintenance, generator breakdowns, shutting of power in specified areas for repairs and other reasons. Due to all these deficiencies, Zubair said that the approximate power available for distribution at any time is in the region of 2000 mw. The demand for power is also said to be a variable figure. Analyses by the CEB have revealed that the daily power consumption is in the region of 1500 mw. The CEB is expecting a rise in demand for power in the coming days due to the General Election. However, a prediction has also been made that there will be a drop in the power demand once the school vacations begin early April. As a precautionary measure, Zubair said that he had enlisted the co-orperation of the commercial sector, the hotel trade and industrialists to utilise their own power generators instead of depending on the national grid. According to AES project director Warden, upto now they do not believe that the fire was an act of sabotage. Strict security at the location would prevent any outsiders from entering the power complex. Engineers said that the fire may have resulted from various causes. Police investigations into the incident have already begun. A CID source said that they may take a few more days to complete the investigation. So far, no person has been taken into custody in this connection, the source said. |
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