No power cuts expected in coming months, Minister assure
– Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka yesterday assured Parliament that Sri Lanka will not face an electricity crisis in the coming months despite the possible impact of the El Niño phenomenon, as sufficient water is available in reservoirs and the Government is accelerating plans to introduce a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).The Minister said reservoirs currently hold sufficient water to generate around 750 GWh of electricity, representing 58.7% of capacity as of September 10.He said the Meteorology Department has forecast increased rainfall during October, November and December, enabling the Government to build up sufficient water reserves to generate around 1,000 GWh of hydroelectricity by early 2027.
“According to forecasts, January, February and March will be hotter. Therefore, it is important to have sufficient water capacity to generate 1,000 GWh by early next year,” he said.The Minister said peak electricity demand, currently around 3,000 MW, is expected to rise to about 3,350 MW during January, February and March due to higher temperatures.He said the Government was expediting the implementation of the BESS project, which is expected to add 565 MW of storage capacity to the national grid.“We will establish 160 MW of battery storage next month. The tender for 250 MW has already closed, while a tender for another 150 MW will be opened on September 24. We aim to expedite the entire process before March next year,” he said.The Minister also said coal procurement requirements for 2026 and 2027 had been finalized, with the first shipment expected to arrive on September 16.
He added that electricity generation costs had recently declined due to increased hydroelectric power generation. He said the Government did not expect to propose an electricity tariff increase for the next quarter.