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| Sunday, 5 December 2004 |
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Stage One of Upper Kotmale project : CEB awaits green light from President by Anton Nonis The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) authorities await with 'fingers crossed' for the green light from President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to go ahead with the Upper Kotmale Project which was long overdue. CEB sources said there were positive signs in the government that Stage One of the project would begin shortly. Project Director, Shavi Fernando told the Sunday Observer that a sum of Rs. 36 billion was required for stage one. Of this sum, the Japanese government had agreed to provide Rs. 29.7 billion through the Japanese Bank International Corporation (JBIC). The balance amount would be borne by the Sri Lanka Government, of which Rs. 5.6 billion would be collected by way of taxes and duties, according to Fernando. Stage One which is scheduled to be completed in six years would generate a capacity of 150 mega watts. According to CEB engineers, Stage One would supply 528 million units of electricity per year and it would be second only to the Victoria hydro-power project which supplied 738 million units of power per year. Stage One which was expected to have begun in 2001 was already late by three years. According to the engineers, even if Stage One had begun now, it would be completed around the year 2010.CEB calculations have shown that there would be a loss of Rs. seven per every unit of electricity of the 738 million units that could be produced. Asked whether there would be any power-cuts in the future over the delay in implementing the Upper Kotmale project, Fernando said such a situation would not arise as power would be generated thermally in addition to buying it from private generation at exhorbitant costs. |
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