Post by kingcoal on Jun 19, 2016 9:48:38 GMT 5.5
www.thesundayleader.lk, 19th June 2016
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) has requested Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake to look into the balance sheets of the key players of the Non-Conventional Renewable Energy (NCRE), and not give any more incentives to them.
A top official of the CEBEU told The Sunday Leader that Sri Lanka has already achieved the stipulated NCRE policy target of 10 per cent of energy by 2015.
“This shows that this is an industry that already has enormous developer/investor confidence, without any more new incentives. The companies that are engaged in the industry make enormous profits,” he added.
The Union had informed Minister Karunanayake that offering any more incentives out of public money would hamper other sectors.
Of all NCRE forms, wind remains the second largest – after mini hydro. To date, the total wind development in the country, some 130MW, is totally in the hands of the private sector barring the first ever 3MW plant put up by CEB in late 1990s, the Union said.
However, certain businessmen engaged in the Wind Industry continue to influence and misguide decision makers asking for more concessions and making proposals to keep CEB continuously sidelined for them to dominate the industry. “When Sri Lanka has the highest wind tariff in the world, it is no secret to see such an enthusiasm”, said CEBEU President Athula Wanniarachchi.
CEB had already commenced the development of a 100MW wind farm in the Mannar Islands, facing many obstacles and opposition from such groups with vested interests. CEB ventured into this to overcome certain technology-specific technical barriers that exist for large scale wind power absorption to an isolated and small island Power Grid system like Sri Lanka and to expose the true cost of wind power.
“Thus, we kindly wish to caution you against unilaterally listening to these business ‘tycoons’, who had enough accumulated wealth (unduly earned out of this lucrative business) to influence political camps of either side,” the Union had informed Karunanayke.
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) has requested Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake to look into the balance sheets of the key players of the Non-Conventional Renewable Energy (NCRE), and not give any more incentives to them.
A top official of the CEBEU told The Sunday Leader that Sri Lanka has already achieved the stipulated NCRE policy target of 10 per cent of energy by 2015.
“This shows that this is an industry that already has enormous developer/investor confidence, without any more new incentives. The companies that are engaged in the industry make enormous profits,” he added.
The Union had informed Minister Karunanayake that offering any more incentives out of public money would hamper other sectors.
Of all NCRE forms, wind remains the second largest – after mini hydro. To date, the total wind development in the country, some 130MW, is totally in the hands of the private sector barring the first ever 3MW plant put up by CEB in late 1990s, the Union said.
However, certain businessmen engaged in the Wind Industry continue to influence and misguide decision makers asking for more concessions and making proposals to keep CEB continuously sidelined for them to dominate the industry. “When Sri Lanka has the highest wind tariff in the world, it is no secret to see such an enthusiasm”, said CEBEU President Athula Wanniarachchi.
CEB had already commenced the development of a 100MW wind farm in the Mannar Islands, facing many obstacles and opposition from such groups with vested interests. CEB ventured into this to overcome certain technology-specific technical barriers that exist for large scale wind power absorption to an isolated and small island Power Grid system like Sri Lanka and to expose the true cost of wind power.
“Thus, we kindly wish to caution you against unilaterally listening to these business ‘tycoons’, who had enough accumulated wealth (unduly earned out of this lucrative business) to influence political camps of either side,” the Union had informed Karunanayke.