No nuclear power generation in a decade

by Manjula Fernando

Sri Lanka will not step into nuclear power generation within the next 10 years, said Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka on being asked about the visit of a team of Russian nuclear scientists to Sri Lanka this month.

“According to our long-term generation plan, there is no proposal to set up a nuclear plant in the country within the next decade.”

The Minister said that the country must first study this relatively new technology in the backdrop of the devastating accidents that have occurred in history and in the recent past in Fukushima, Japan, adding that, however, nuclear power as a source of power generation is kept as an open option in Sri Lanka.

“We are going to introduce nuclear science as a new study module in the Moratuwa University.

If we are serious about nuclear power generation the country must first produce the requisite human resources,” he said. The Minister said the arrival dates of the Russian team will be confirmed by the Russian Ambassador in Colombo shortly.

The visit is a sequel to a request by the Power and Energy Ministry and the focus of their visit will be to share their expertise in Non Destructive Technology (NDT) and techniques such as Gama radiation, capacity-building and upgrading at the Gannoruwa Agriculture Research Unit, Atomic Energy Authority and a few other institutions.

"We are hoping to expand LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) sector and absorb non-conventional energy sources as our energy" generation plan of the next decade, he said.