Sri Lanka hit by power cuts after key union goes on strike
Sri Lanka
Swathes ofSriLankawere hit by electricitycutson Thursday after apowersector union went on strike opposing new government regulations, compounding hardships as the country tackles a crippling economic crisis.
About 900 out of around 1,100 engineers of the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB),SriLanka's mainpowercompany, went on strike at midnight, stalling operations at eight hydropowerplants that generate around 1,000 MW of electricity.
The CEB Engineers' Union is opposed to government plans to amend legislation governing the country'spowersector, which include removing restrictions on competitive bidding for renewablepowerprojects.
Kanchana Wijesekera,SriLanka'spowerminister, said he was open to make changes to the legislation that is due to be presented to parliament, adding that consumers had the right to cheap and uninterrupted electricity supply.
"If the existing CEB act does not need amendments and has the capability to implement renewable energy projects without delay, why did the CEB deprive many who had requested to do so for years?," Wijesekera said in a tweet.
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SriLanka's 22 million people are already suffering the country's most serious financial turmoil in seven decades, with severe shortages of fuel, medicines and other essentials amid record inflation and a devaluation of its currency.
In a bid to stop the CEB Engineers' Union from striking,SriLanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a gazette notification late on Wednesday declaring electricity supply as an essential service.
The legal directive makes it mandatory for engineers to report to work.
"President Rajapaksa called the union president late last night and made an appeal not to let the entire grid collapse. So we are working to ensure hospitals and other essential services havepower," the union's joint secretary Eranga Kudahewa told Reuters.
"But the strike will continue," he said.
The government, pushing renewable energy as a potential solution for the country'spowerwoes, has underlined the need for the amendments to allow for quicker approval and implementation of projects.
Janaka Ratnayake, chairman of thepowerregulator Public Utilities Commission ofSriLanka, said regions supplied by hydropowerhad seenpoweroutages, including parts of the commercial capital Colombo.
"We are working to restore services and will talk with the unions to reduce public inconvenience," Ratnayake told Reuters.
SriLankawas crippled by longpowercutsearlier this year after it was unable to import fuel needed to generate electricity, though the situation has improved as monsoon rains have bolstered hydropowergeneration.
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