President at Energy Efficiency awards: Focus on eco-friendly power

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said the consumers can get electricity at cheaper rates by promoting environment friendly power generation in Sri Lanka.

He said the Government has paid special focus on the environment friendly power generation sector which could bring more benefits to the consumers. President Rajapaksa was speaking at the energy efficiency awards ceremony organized by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority and the Power and Energy Ministry at the BMICH yesterday.

Brandix Lanka (Pvt) Limited bagged the Gold award for large scale manufacturing sector and Gold award for medium scale went to CKT Apparel, Agalawatte.

Jet wing Beach Hotel in Negombo received the gold award for the most energy efficient institution in the hotel sector while SriLankan Catering bagged the Gold award for state sector building category.

The Overseas Reality Plc which owns the World Trade Centre received the gold award for the usage of energy efficient methods in the large scale commercial sector building category.

The President added that the Government succeeded in providing electricity to more than 85 percent of households in the country.

President Rajapaksa said the Iranian Government has funded a comprehensive rural electrification project in the country and the Government can achieve the target of providing electricity to all house holds in the country soon.

“We should go for more profitable and environment friendly power generation projects which could bring more benefits to the consumers,” he added. The President stated that the Government has granted approval to 200 mini hydro power generation projects. Some of such projects have already commenced operations, he added.

He stressed that the country had to suffer due to the failure of previous Governments to take right decisions at right time for energy sector development.

The Norochcholai power plant and upper Kotmale hydropower generation project could have been started two three decades earlier. But the previous governments did not take any decisions over them due to various reasons.

He added that the Government led by him commenced the construction of Norochcholai coal power plant after a lapse of 30 years to solve the energy crisis in the country.

Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, Sustainable Energy Development Authority Chairman Dr. Kithsiri Dissanayake also spoke.

Daily News