The Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Station shut down on Friday night (22) after running out of naphtha fuel, according media reports.
According to Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Spokesman Andrew Navamani, a timeline for the Kelanitissa station’s reopening is unknown, as the country has no naphtha fuel stocks due to the shutdown of the Sapugaskanda Refinery.
“The CPC will have to supply us with either naphtha or diesel to get the plant back up and running,” Navamani told the media.
According to him, the Kelanitissa plant requires approximately one million liters of diesel.
Due to the high cost of diesel and the ongoing fuel shortage, several diesel power plants have also been shut down.
According to CEB sources, the CEB was on the verge of running out of fuel for thermal power plants that run on liquid fuel (HFO, naphtha, and diesel) by last night (23).
However, a new shipment of 30,000 MT of furnace oil, which arrived last week and is currently being unloaded, will allow the power utility to resume operation of furnace oil-using power plants. The 30,000 MT is expected to last for 12 to 13 days.
