Placing gas at the centre of Sri Lanka’s energy blueprint - See more at: http://www.ft.lk/article/603309/Placing-gas-at-the-centre-of-Sri-Lanka-s-energy-blueprin
Written By Deepesh Nanda Any international traveller to Sri Lanka is enthralled by its natural beauty and hospitable people. Preserving its pristine environment is, and should remain, a priority for its government and citizens. At the same time, providing world class infrastructure and ensuring that it is in line with growing needs requires a fine balancing act. Recently, Sri Lanka suffered a series of island-wide power outages, setting off a cascade of automatic shutdowns across the country’s power generation and transmission infrastructure. Facilities like the 900 MW Puttalam plant in Norochcholai – the largest power plant in the country – went offline for over three days. As millions of people in the country were left without power, the blackout clearly illuminated the challenge that the Sri Lankan power sector is facing. Also, as the country faces its worst drought in 40 years, its hydro power capacity has been severely constrained. These circumstances further complicate the pro...