Handunnetti requests minister not to make emergency power purchases

By Ajith Siriwardana  

COPE Chairman and JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti yesterday requested Power and Energy Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage not to resort to any emergency power purchases claiming that it was a huge loss to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). 

He said emergency power purchase had been done since 2010 and that CEB had incurred a loss of  Rs.70,000 million only during 2017 and 2018 due to such purchases as revealed by the COPE report.  He said the Treasury had provided a loan of Rs. 290 billion to the CEB during that period and that most of those funds had been used for emergency power purchase.  
“Power and Energy Minister Aluthgamage raised objections when the previous government made emergency power purchase. Now he can stop it as the subject minister. The Diesel power generating companies are behind this scam and those who are operating these companies are former CEB employees,” he said adding those were the people behind the moves to obstruct solar power generation.  

Mr. Handunnetti said CEB was carrying out uninformed power cuts to convince the people of the need to make emergency power purchase and justify it.

Emergency power purchase had been done since 2010 and that CEB had incurred a loss of  Rs.70,000 million only during 2017 and 2018 due to such purchases as revealed by the COPE report