CEB trade unions manipulated, sabotage not ruled out

By Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said now trade unions cannot simply hijack the people’s right to electricity. The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said at the end of recent Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) strike, some trade unions affiliated to the JVP tried to sabotage the electricity supply by resorting to terror tactics. They are trying to go back to the 1987-1989 period by taking recourse to trade union action. However, the people rose against them which is very commendable. The Minister appealed to the voters to teach these people a good lesson at the forthcoming Provincial Council elections.

Commenting on the ongoing power crisis, Minister Ranawaka said that now they have a new approach to this crisis. He assured that the crisis is not because of the Norochcholai plant but due to the drought which was totally unexpected. He explained how the former UNP Government invited developers and entrepreneurs to sell energy to the CEB. As a result, various people with high-cost generation plants sold energy to the CEB. However the CEB is still having some problems regarding hotels and some people who own generators due to the irregular buying and selling electricity during the UNP regime. This was only a temporary remedy but caused a serious financial setback to the CEB.

Q: What has gone wrong with Norochcholai? There are many allegations that corrosion has set in. When will it work without interruption?

A: At the moment there are a few problems. One is that this plant should have been set up as early as 1990, so that the CEB would not have faced the current financial and energy deficit problems. Those who opposed this project without proposing any alternative should take the responsibility. The other is that this is not the best location. The best is Trincomalee. Due to barging operations and various other things, we are facing a big problem in unloading coal. That is the most serious problem in Norochcholai. Due to the vulnerability to terrorist attacks and public protests, the CEB was forced to shift the project to Norochcholai. Accordingly we have two problems, the unloading and salt accumulation. Salt accumulation is very high in Norochcholai.

This has posed a very serious problem when you discuss about power plants and power transmission lines. We have also faced three categories of technical problems. The first is a design problem. The unit size of 300MW plant is also a problem. It takes two to three weeks to cool down. If something happens to this plant, we can’t repair it. We have to wait till it cools down to the normal temperature. It takes nearly two weeks and costs approximately Rs. 2 billion to us.

That is a design problem. The other thing is that we can’t evacuate the full power of this plant because of its size. Therefore it’s a controlling problem. These are unavoidable. Other avoidable things would be the transmission lines. After completing these two phases, we will have four transmission lines. If one transmission line is tripped, we have another three such lines to evacuate power. Unfortunately we have only one at the moment. If salt rain is there and salt tends to accumulate on this transmission line, it gets tripped and as a result we can’t evacuate power. There will be four transmission lines by 2014. So this problem will not arise. Although we have only one unit now there will be two more units shortly. After the completion of this project, we will have three units.

If one unit breaks down, we have the other two to generate power. So that the reliability level would be enhanced dramatically when this plant is completed. Still we have problems, because if something happens to this plant, then all the power will be gone. It’s avoidable but it takes time.

We will solve this within one year’s time. Some technical problems are there in auxiliaries, not the main plant. It’s an utter lie to say that this is not a new plant. This is, of course a new plant. Some problems have cropped up in auxiliaries because of the corrosion. Adequate preventive methods have not been introduced. We can’t blame the Chinese company alone.

There are three parties, Chinese CMEC, consultancy firm Pyori and the CEB project team. Pyori consultants have to see whether this project is built by the CMEC according to the standards that have been agreed. That is their duty. We are paying them five percent of the project cost to assure that the project is going on as per agreement and the design. The CEB has to approve both, the CMEC work and the consultancy of Pyori and the money is released only thereafter. The three parties will be held responsible for anything untoward.

As far as the Ministry is concerned, we are not technical people. A Government to Government agreement was there. According to this agreement a long component is released to us. We simply release this money to the CEB and we hope that the CEB is supplying power to the main grid. That is our role. We are not there to check these technical standards or advise them. We are there to monitor the situation. I appointed two committees to oversee the whole project and they have identified various technical areas specially sparepart supply. They have given us an interim report and the project director too has given a report.

The plant Manager also gave a report. In addition, Pyori Consultant firm has also given us a report. We had a few rounds of tripartite meetings with CMEC, CEB and Pyori and now we have identified the problems we are facing. I think it takes time to solve these technical problems. We hope that this plant will be fully operational by the end of next year. The problems we have identified will be rectified in the second phase of 600MW.

Q: Has the situation at the CEB now stabilised? Do you see a hidden political hand behind the moves to destabilise the CEB?

A: Power industry is called the gold-plated industry. Earlier power deficit was simply settled by giving entrepreneurs and developers to sell power to CEB. The UNP is now boasting that they solved the power crisis in 2002. What was their solution? They formed the Energy Supply Committee, a high-powered committee on top of which was then Power and Energy Minister Karu Jayasuriya, was headed by then Treasury Secretary Charitha Rathwatte. Then they invited developers and entrepreneurs to sell energy to the CEB. So various people with high cost generation plants sold energy to the CEB. Still we are having some problems in hotels and with those who owned generators because of this irregular electricity buying and selling. It temporarily remedied the problem but caused a serious financial setback to the CEB. Somehow they bought 300MW of power from the private sector. Basically what they have done was to “sell” the crisis. If the Government empowers me, I too can say that anyone can sell energy to the CEB at any price. Then they may sell energy to me at the rate of Rs. 45 to 65 per unit. Then CEB will be bankrupt. That was the practise adopted by former UNP Government.

Basically we don’t have a plan. We simply try to go through the crisis by adopting adhoc methods without a permanent solution. Now we have a new approach to the crisis. Actually the crisis is not due to the Norochcholai plant, but the drought which is totally unexpected.

Earlier less than 30 percent hydro generation means power cuts. Now it is just 15 percent. Now we could supply energy because of our thermal capacity. At present Victoria and Randenigala is at a non-operational stage and as such we can’t run them anymore. Due to the drought, Norochcholai Lak Vijaya plant is essential to us. We expected more from this plant, but it was unable to fulfil our requirements.

We should have stringent measures to save energy. Our aim is to have 10 percent saving and somehow save our hydro power resources accordingly. We can supply 247. All the hydro power will be gone within the next two weeks time. In order to save our hydro power, we have to save energy and impose power cuts. Else the entire system will collapse.

That is the danger that we are facing.I think the recent trade union action by the CEB employees is unjustifiable. Their lowest grade is called N6. The basic educational qualification required for this grade is six passes at the G.C.E. (Ordinary Level) examination and should be below 35.

That is the basic qualification to recruit a labourer. His basic salary is Rs. 24,000 but his take-home salary is about Rs. 30,000 with overtime. The salary of an Assistant University Lecturer is Rs. 29,000. The salary of intern medical doctor is Rs. 29,000. But the CEB’s lowest salary is Rs.30,000. In Government service it is just Rs. 11,000.

The CEB employees are getting 14 salaries per annum and not 12. One is bonus and the other is medical incentives and another 56 allowances are there. We have given them 25 percent salary increase this year with bonus and medical incentives as well.

They have also been given the arrears since 2009. Their trade lesson action is purely based on political motives.

What happened was when we turned the CEB into a profit-making institution in 2010, the trade unionists controlling the CEB got totally upset. They are now trying to create problems. Sometimes there may be unexpected mechanical problems in the plants and various strikes.

This time we adopted a tough stand. They were not given any of their twelve demands.

They lost their 5 to 6 days salary due to the strike. At the end of this strike, some trade unions affiliated to the JVP tried to sabotage the electricity supply resorting to terror tactics. The people rose against them which is commendable. They can’t simply hijack the people’s right to electricity. I appeal to the voters to teach these people a good lesson at the forthcoming Provincial Council elections as they are trying to go back to the 1987-1989 period by recourse to the so-called trade union rights.

Q:When will it be possible to stop power cuts? Will you have to introduce longer power cuts if the power supply situation does not improve?

A: Unless the water level improves we won’t be able to control the system. When Norochcholai is back to normal we can manage the situation. We have to run our all power plants in a perfect manner. We expect inter monsoon rains in mid September and if it fails, we will have to face a very serious situation.

Q: How long will it take to provide electricity to hundred percent of households?

A: Our initial target was 2017. We set an ambitious target by 2012. We hope that the Iranian project will cover 1,000 villages. We have to cover 4,000 villages. So 25 percent of these villages will be illuminated by the Iranian project.

The USA has imposed some sanctions against Iran and as such the Iranian loan could not be utilised. We have also another rural program called “Grama Shakthi” which is not connected to the main grid. We have identified some 50,000 to 60,000 families in remote areas and they will be given solar power for lighting purposes. Others will be provided electricity under the “Didulamu Lanka” project.

Q: Why is the hydroelectricity supply limited to 15 percent or so? Is it due to lack of rain?

A: Three consecutive monsoons have failed; 2011 South Western monsoon, 2011 North-Eastern monsoon and 2012 South Western monsoon. That is the main reason.

Q: What kind of attention is being given to solar and wind power? Can you describe some of the ongoing and planned projects?

A: Our ambitious aim is to add 20 percent to our electricity generation by 2020 using solar, wind and biomass. Regarding solar and wind power, there are two constraints. One is a technical problem which is called resource variability. Energies are variable sources and not like coal. In coal, energy can be generated when it is wanted. In the solar system, energy is generated according to the climate. So controllability is not there and we call it dispatchability. When we try to spare this energy to use at our wish, then it becomes a costly affair. The other problem is the financial viability. Both problems are there.

That is why we limit these things. From Kalpitiya to Jaffna, we have 4,000MW of wind which we can’t absorb. Until 2020, the maximum power we can evacuate by using wind is about 600 MW. We hope the solar panels and the prices will drastically drop. The coal and oil prices have gone up to an unprecedented level. I think the commercial viability problem will be solved within the next two to three years while the technical problem continues. We have to modify our system of electricity to evacuate more and more wind and solar. Some technologies are being developed in this field to control the intermittency of the resources. I think these problems will be solved in the near future and we can evacuate more wind and solar.

Q: Recently you dismissed reports of a Pakistan-funded nuclear power plant. Is the Government exploring the possibility of having nuclear power plant some time in the future?

A: The Times of India’s report about our nuclear power plant is a blatant lie. They try to create some international problem against us. When you are trying to enrich uranium and use nuclear power plants, some suspicions may arise as in North Korea and Iran. So this Western pressure will be there in a tremendous way. Indian newspapers are trying to create that kind of problem. It is deliberately done. The other thing is that when India voted against us at the UNHRC resolution in Geneva, most of the other states other than Tamil Nadu were not happy with the Indian decision. It is not only Times of India, the other newspapers also try to create that kind of anti-Sri Lankan atmosphere in India so that they can use these things to further their political aims. We have appointed an expert committee to foresee the possibilities of using nuclear power and also to learn some lessons and study on these things. At the moment, we have a very limited knowledge about the nuclear technology and its new trends. Apart from power generation, in other applications such as non-destructive testing using radiation and isotope hydrology, we have made a very good breakthrough at Samanalawewa. We identified its leak using the isotope technology. In addition, the Gamma radiation to sterilise, carbon dating and also some applications are there in agriculture to fight bacteria infection or what attacks flowers, fruits or vegetables. The radiation technology, can make flowers, vegetables and fruits withstand that kind of infections without using pesticides. We are now developing such technologies.

Q:How confident is the Government of winning the PC elections in Sabaragamuwa, North Central and East despite many challenges faced by the Government?

A: I don’t think we are going to lose because of development in the there provinces. Fear factor is also not there. Those days the TNA and the SLMC were very much close to LTTE people. The SLMC even signed an agreement with the LTTE in April, 2002 and actually TNA is their proxy. Now they can engage in political activities without any fear. Now the people have freedom to move and speak freely. I think, they should be very grateful to this Government. They should show their gratitude to the President and the Government at the forthcoming elections.

Q:The campaign launched by the pro-LTTE diaspora still continues and a new Eelam strategy has come to light after the eradication of LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka. How do you analyse this situation specially with regard to recent TESO conference held in Tamil Nadu?

A: The term diaspora could not be used for the Tamil people. That has been used as a wrong terminology. The word “diaspora” had been used to identify the Jewish people who were chased away from their motherland by the Roman empire. The terminology of Tamil diaspora is completely wrong. Various economic and other reasons are behind their migration. They are migrated Tamil people. Some Western forces are behind somehow to create a situation which is very uneasy for us. They don’t want a country such as Sri Lanka to adopt an independent foreign policy and achieve economic prosperity by using our fine location. We can be a hyper-maritime, aviation and a commercial centre. This is not like Singapore or Dubai. This would be the centre of Asia. So they are trying to use our country.

Tamil Nadu always use their racial card. Karunanidhi is a bankrupt politician. Serious corruption charges had been were levelled against him and his family. Unfortunately, if they pursue the earlier path adopted since 1980s, Tamils and others in this country will have to face serious consequences. We have to avoid such destructive activities committed by these pro-LTTE elements.

If they pose any challenges on us, we are ready to accept. We would definitely defeat this so-called TESO conference, Global Tamil Forum and Rudrakumaran’s so- called Government and all those things backed by some elements in India and the Western countries.

Q: Communal politics have been resorted to in the PC elections specially at the Eastern Province. Even prominent politicians and political analysts have said this is detrimental to the national harmony. How do you view this situation?

A: After the defeat of the LTTE, the Sinhala and Muslim communities did not demand that the surrendered LTTE cadres be hanged as they killed their people and destroyed their sacred places. But the TNA is trying to have a kind of revenge. That will jeopardize the entire reconciliation process and the entire development process in the North and the East. The SLMC is also trying to play a card. In a speech saffron terrorism was also spoken about. How can he speak like that? The Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils are living in very peaceful manner, later he apologized to the entire nation. When the LTTE killed innocent Muslims, he didn’t have the guts to call the LTTE, the terrorists. Now he accuses innocent Buddhists as terrorists and tries to get the votes of Muslim people. I don’t think Muslim society will allow fundamentalist racists to create that kind of problems. People are very well aware that Sri Lanka is moving forward in a determined way. So these forces should be defeated at these forthcoming PC elections.

Q:The problems in universities and the education sector as a whole have turned into a controversial issue at the moment and this may have an adverse effect on the country’s future as well. What action can be taken to overcome this situation?

A: We have a very good free education system. People are talking about the percentage of the funds to be allocated to the education sector. I would say in most of the countries, their RMD component, Research and Development Component is there in education. Sometimes this RMD component consists of nuclear energy, space thing and missile development. When compared to other countries, our education system is all right. The free education system is the only way for the underprivileged people to prosper. So we should not abolish this or damage the free education system, which is now rooted in our society. This is the only weapon which the underprivileged poor children possess. Anything detrimental to free education should be avoided. We have faced many insurrections in universities in the past as in 1971 and 1987-1989. This education system produces talented people. Unfortunately they disrupt the whole society because of their political thinking. They were anti-establishment. These so- called revolutionary Bolshevik parties in the universities are trying to destroy the country. These developments have to be handled delicately. Otherwise this country has no future or the talented people will migrate.

Q: The wave of crime and abductions has shown an increase in the recent times. Sometimes allegations have been levelled against some Government politicos as well. What action can be taken to overcome this social menace?

A: A very few people are involved in such things. You can’t put the blame on the whole society which is very peaceful. We want to isolate these small groups. We can’t generalize it. First of all, we have to identify these people and punish them. The certainty of the punishment is very important in Sri Lanka. That is why the law has been tightened. Our people cannot manage their income. People who have surplus money don’t know how to spend. They are living in lumpan type social pattern. It is the moral duty of the clergy and other people to promote spirituality among our children. On the other hand, it is Government’s duty to exhort them to invest and become true entrepreneurs rather than lumpan type of dealers.

Q: How do you look at the lack of a strong opposition in the country? Many say this is not a healthy environment according to the ideals of democracy?

A: It is a serious problem. We need a strong opposition. Then these problems and some wrong doings by the Government would be rectified. There are no checks and balances. That is very detrimental to the democratic stream. We should have a strong Opposition for a healthy democracy. Unfortunately we don’t have such an Opposition at the moment.