Oct 4 (InfoLanka) The Ceylon Electricity Board yesterday promised its consumers a better and continuous power supply from the end of this year, with two more new grid substations expected to be connect to the national power grid.
A spokesman for the CEB told the yesterday that the sudden electricity breakdowns and power fluctuations would be reduced to a great extent following the commissioning of the Ratnapura-Authurigiya new grid substation.
The CEB is currently carrying out several rehabilitation programmes in several parts of the country at a cost of 4030 million Yens.
The spokesman added that due to the rehabilitation programme, the public in several parts of the country, mainly in the Kelaniya and Sri Jayawardenapura areas will experience sudden power breakdowns.
He said the reason for this was because the CEB was replacing the existing high-tension wires and also replacing new conductors to the Kelanitissa-Kolonnawa power station.
Meanwhile, electricity consumers have complained that they have been experiencing sudden blackouts and power fluctuations during the past few days. CEB sources alleged that the reason maybe because most of the hotels in the coastline were full with tourists and they were using their maximum power capacity.
"Maybe the grid could not hold the sudden load, and was causing problems," sources said. However the system control room of the CEB said that they had adequate power and they can handle the present peak load. "Maybe there is a problem with the area power stations. That maybe why there are sudden power interruptions and fluctuations," they added.
Among the other rehabilitation programmes carried out by the CEB are the rehabilitation of the Thulhiriya power station, replacement of the high-tension lines at Balangoda, replacement of the Matara distribution line and several other power lines. The spokesman added that some of the electricity lines used presently were laid as far back as 1963.
