A decision will be taken this evening whether to go ahead with power cuts or not, and recommendations will be  given to all institutions and consumers to use electricity sparingly, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said.

He told the Daily Mirror that the decision to supply uninterrupted power expired by today and that it should be reconsidered after the meeting this evening.

Earlier, the decision was taken by the PUCSL not to impose power cuts until today (27), as sufficient fuel had been received and the situation would be reconsidered depending on the availability of fuel after today, Mr. Ratnayake said.

However, after having received adequate fuel  for ten days by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and subsequent to resuming operations of the Norochcholai coal power plant by January 30, there would be no need for power cuts in the future, he said.

The power supply is not sufficient to meet the demand. As a result, if consumers can adopt self-control when using electricity, it will help  ensure continuous supply even in emergency situations, he said.

Therefore, the PUCLS is to issue recommendations to all institutions and consumers to use power sparingly, Mr. Ratnayake further added. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)