It is heartening that a politician well versed in management has taken over the Ministry of Power and Energy. Mr. Karu Jayasuriya is known as a person clearing messes others create. He did an excellent job as the Mayor of Colombo.

Earlier this vital ministry did not progress. It was limping from crisis to crisis while the palaces of the powers that were went up inch by inch. In the end the country was plunged into the depths of a crisis, the politicians concerned did not know what to do. There were prolonged power cuts relaxed for political reasons towards the general election.

The crisis is far from over.

The CEB has warned that the dreaded powercuts will have to be reimposed. According a report published in your sister paper I read on the Net, the CEB authorities were awaiting the induction of the new minister to consult him to make a final decision.

The monsoon rains have failed us and the reservoirs are more than half empty.

The new minister should not be blamed for power cuts that are to be imposed. But he will have to adopt urgent measures to hoist the country from the depths of the present crisis. The impressive victory of the UNP in the so-called Catholic belt may have been partially due to the battles that the previous government had to fight with the Church over the Norochcholai power plant. The new government should make a firm decision on this coal fired power plant.

Experts have recommended coal power and the opposition is mainly due to the locations of the proposed coal plants rather than the source of power. A solution has to be found immediately to this problem. If there are other sources of energy that can be tapped fast to overcome the crisis, they must also be given serious thought. But I, as a retired engineer who has put over three decades into the power sector, am convinced that coal comes in handy for countries like us. For it is coming down in prices unlike other sources and is viable.

Barge mounted power plants are also useful in this crisis situation. The private sector can be urged to generate power to augment the national grid. Now that the investor confidence has been restored by the induction of the new government, more concessions should be given to those who are willing to produce power. Foreign firms too can be invited. However, we as a country must be self sufficient in power generation and it is not advisable to depend on multi national companies for power generation.

Solar is another option. But the initial costs are exorbitant and therefore solar projects are not feasible in a developing country like ours. Solar option can however be kept open for industries capable of making an initial investment. Apart form the installation and the equipment costs, solar power comes almost free. The industries that opt for solar energy should be given special concessions.

There is still hope for us. We can get out of this crisis provided the political leaders are willing to take appropriate action. I think we have got a minister who is capable of getting the support of all experts to find a way out. Having seen various lobbies at work to sell their projects to the government, I hope the new government will not succumb to their pressure and make the same mistakes as the previous government.
Ex Engineer
New Zealand