Sources of the Electricity Board say that due to the water being released from the Samanalawa Reservoir after the Udawalawa Reservoir has dried up, the Samanala Lake Power Plant will become inactive. Accordingly, the sources further say that in order to avoid a crisis in the electricity supply in the southern province, they will have to buy electricity from private companies.
The reason for this is that a group of private landowners obstructed the completion of a 650-meter section of the nearly 150 km cable line built from Polpitiya to Hambantota to connect the national power system with the southern province, says Nandika Pathirage, media Spokesperson of the C.E.B Engineers Association.
He further said that this 650 meter portion which is under controversy is under tea cultivation and it belongs to the famous Atigala family of Sabaragamuwa. It is reported that the construction of this cable line is 99.6% complete and only the 650 meter section is left. It is reported that if the section is built and the southern province is connected to the national grid, the risk of power cuts will disappear and farmers will be able to release water at the right time.
Media Spokesperson Nandika Pathirage says that 1.6 million rupees have been approved by the government to carry the electricity system through the land, but with the demand of 9.6 million land owners, it has not been possible to connect the systems for eight years.
Thus, electricity unions have been alleging that electricity for the southern province is to be supplied by a private power plant located in Embilipitiya area, thereby benefiting a few powerful people in the electricity board.