Despite PUCSL refusal:

ACE Power Embilipitiya joins national grid

By Rukshana Rizwie

Ace Power, a 100 MW thermal power station in Embilipitiya which was decommissioned last year has now begun contributing 40 megawatts of power to the national grid this week as an emergency measure to avert an energy crisis, Sulakshana Jayawardena, spokesperson for the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said.

The inclusion of the power plant has been questioned by the regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) citing that power purchase from the Independent Power Producer (IPP) does not comply with the Sri Lanka Electricity Act. According to Section 43 4 (c) and (ii) of the Act, the CEB had not mentioned the power plant in the Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plan and neither did they follow protocol in submitting the request letter prior to seeking cabinet approval.

The PUSCLsaid there exists ‘adequate generation capacity in the system from April to June this year and it negates the need for an emergency purchase of power from this plant.

Officials at the PUCSL told the Sunday Observer that the reasons given by the CEB such as the failure of two 250MVA transformers and restrictions imposed on the discharge of water from Rantambe do not justify the purchase of power from the Ace Power Plant.