Sri Lanka Energy Crisis

HEMANTHA WITHANAGE 

[Originally posted on January 22,2022]

Energy security is one of the fundamental requirements for a country. Meanwhile having sovereign energy sources is utmost important. However, this was ignored by all the regimes in the past.

In January 2022, it was announced that Sri Lanka has no foreign reserves to purchase coal for the Norochcholai coal power plant. Power Ministry also don’t have money to purchase diesel and furnace oil for the thermal power plants. Immediate result is shorter power cuts across the country. Gasoline and diesel for the vehicles also follow the same fate. This means that Sri Lanka has lost its energy security in 2022.

Meanwhile several accidents related to LPG gas leaks occurred during the past 2 months are due to the change of the prophane and butane formula to make more profits for Litro gas. Unfortunately, few people already died, and many people spend hours in the queues to find safer gas tanks.

In 2019, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa set the tone in his “Vistas of  Prosperity and splendor” produced to achieve 80% renewable by 2030. The national budget- 2020 brought down the target to 70%. However, CEB’s long-term generation plan can  meet only about 45% of Sri Lanka’s renewable electricity by 2030. This is because majority CEB engineers still believe on combustion sources such as coal and liquid gas. Meantime Sustainable Energy Authority so far has failed to meet the necessary speed to meet the target.  

Some people think LNG as the transition fuel. It is not true. It’s another fossil-based source. Responding to the peoples demand to meet the climate targets, G8 countries and the multilateral banks recently decide to cut their support to coal expansion. China also joined them in September 2021. Therefore, LNG prices are soaring in the region. Yet, Sri Lanka is still interested in promoting 900 MW LNG plants in the coming years.

At present, compared to the price of electricity generated in Sri Lanka, it costs more than 20 rupees to produce one unit of electricity from coal and about 17 rupees per unit to produce liquefied natural gas. But a unit of wind power, which is a renewable energy system, costs only about 9 rupees. Solar power can generate electricity for as little as 8 rupees. The 100 MW Mannar Wind Power Plant, built with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank, is currently generating wind power at a cost of Rs. 7/unit.

We must not forget that not all renewables are green. But, Mannar wind project shows how to make renewables greener. Fifty-six towers were to be erected when the power plant began, but due to protests from the Centre for Environmental Justice and other environmentalists, it was brough down to 30 turbines only. The environmental report  said that the plant could kill 10% of the pelicans and destructive to birds annually migrate from Europe to Sri Lanka. As a  solution an emergency radar system  was installed as a pilot project in the region to shut down the turbines to stop bird collision. It monitors the birds from a distance of up to 12 km and the movement of birds up to 400 meters in height. Even if the power plant is equipped with such high technology, it can produce clean wind power at around Rs. 7 per unit. We are yet to see the effectiveness of the Radar system.

But precariously Indian Adani corporation has now approached Sri Lanka to build another 500 MW capacity of wind turbines across Mannar which will be detrimental to the bird migration. Although this wind project is scheduled for 2030, they might speed up the approval process citing the current crisis.

Small hydro power plants in Sri Lanka also cause great environmental damage. The reason for this is that the power plants are being operated without proper environmental assessment and supervision. The Centre for Environmental Justice took legal actions to regulate the situation by requesting a Strategic Environmental Assessment for small hydro power plants. Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority initially gave consent but later withdrew.

Not only Sri Lanka but the whole world is currently facing a serious crisis due to climate change. There is no escape for Sri Lanka from that crisis as an island nation. According to the 2017 International Climate Change Index, Sri Lanka was ranked as the  second country in the world affected by climate change. In 2018, Sri Lanka was ranked sixth in the index.  

In 2016, Sri Lanka submitted its NDC in accordance with the Paris Agreement signed in2015. Accordingly, it pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 4% and to reduce carbon emissions by 16% through all other activities. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka dishonour these promises when they propose LNG plants in Muthurajawela and a coal power plant in Puttalam.

According to the plan, the fourth coal power plant adjacent to the Norochcholai Lakvijaya power plant will generate 300 megawatts by 2023. Another 300 megawatts from natural gas in the same year and 300 megawatts in 2024 and 2025. It is also proposed to set up a 600 MW coal power plant in Trincomalee by 2026. And after 2030, coal and liquefied natural gas power plants will generate more than 3,000 megawatts of electricity until 2039. Therefore, CEB plan is undoubtedly a very  destructive long-term plan. However, in mid-January  2022, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced no more coal plants will be built.

Yet, increased burning of firewood will add further emission to the atmosphere. While indoor pollution is an immediate crisis, its climate contribution is also a serious issues begin with the gas shortage.

The latest IPC report state it is not possible to avoid temperature rise to 3 degrees Celsius. If we are to utilize the remaining carbon budget, all developed countries must be carbon-zero by 2030, if global temperatures are not to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius to manage catastrophic climate change the world is currently facing. And all the countries in the world, big and small, must be carbon zero by 2050.

Unfortunately, Sri Lanka Electricity Board has so far not taken adequate measures to honor the targets set by the President. It is unfortunate that this corrupt system has jeopardized the national energy security which will lead to many other crises. In my view, other than immediate social and economic difficulties, current economic crisis in Sri Lanka will delay achieving NDC targets, increase forest destruction and increase unaccounted carbon emissions in the immediate future. (END)