President orders plan to alleviate poverty
President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered officials to prepare a plan in the new year to alleviate poverty in the country. Addressing public officials at the Polonnaruwa District Secretariat, the President
The Island (Sri Lanka)
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Efficient bus, train service only solution to transport problem'
Almost thirty percent of the vehicles that come to Colombo on week days are those used by public servants and most have drivers too, costing around 150,000 monthly for fuel and salary for each vehicle. It could be more cost effective and ease traffic congestion if public servants are paid 50,000 rupees monthly instead, Chairman, Road Development Authority, M. D. S. Fernando told The Island yesterday (13).
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Fishermen protest against fuel prices
Hundreds of fishermen and boat owners demonstrated in the Hikkaduwa town yesterday (18) demanding that fuel prices be reduced or provided at subsidized rates to those engaged in the fishing industry. The demonstration, which lasted over an hour, was organised by the Fishing Industries General Union and Southern Provincial Council JVP member Nishantha Perera was present among the protestors.
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Energy from water
The common scientific armour against alternative energy systems, if we take the energy from water concept, for that matter, is the first law of thermodynamics (which leads to conservation of energy). It says "The increase in the internal energy of a system is equal to the amount of energy added by heating the system, minus the amount lost as a result of the work done by the system on its surroundings". In layman terms, it says energy cannot be created and input energy should be greater than output considering all systems are less than 100% efficient
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US$ 300 mn coal-fired plant ready
If the government had not completed the 300 MW Kerawalapitiya electricity generation plant by 2008, Sri Lanka would have experienced a major power crisis with constant power cuts by 2009. The cost of the plant is around US $ 300 million and the government assures that there would be no power cuts in 2009. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned at the end of this month. The Kerawalapitiya power plant will generate 200 MW under its first phase and add it to the National Grid and in the second phase it will generate the other 100 MW in 2009, the Power and Energy Ministry said.
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US$ 300 mn coal-fired plant ready
If the government had not completed the 300 MW Kerawalapitiya electricity generation plant by 2008, Sri Lanka would have experienced a major power crisis with constant power cuts by 2009. The cost of the plant is around US $ 300 million and the government assures that there would be no power cuts in 2009. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned at the end of this month. The Kerawalapitiya power plant will generate 200 MW under its first phase and add it to the National Grid and in the second phase it will generate the other 100 MW in 2009, the Power and Energy Ministry said.
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Call to enhance use of bio gas
Bio gas is the answer for three major problems: environment management, energy management and agri system management, President of the Lanka Biogas Assosiation, Professor Ajith de Alwis, said at the launch of Biogas Association yesterday. Sri Lanka must try to promote bio gas as a technology. Though in the past bio gas was considered a poor man's technology, it is well accepted and recognized for its triple importance and the unique capabilities of the process.
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Energy Ministry to hold SAARC bio-fuel workshop at Kandalama
The Power and Energy Ministry will conduct a workshop, at the Heritance, Kandalama, on bio fuels to impart training on the production of bio fuels. Power and Energy Ministry sources said that the objective of organizing the training program on the production of bio fuels was to impart training to selected participants from the member States to help them acquire knowledge on the available technology and future prospects on bio fuels.
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Bio fuels vs food
The world is still trying hard to over come the double crisis of sky rocketing energy prices, as well as the increasing costs and fears of food shortages. Some of the options being proposed and tried out in some countries, by converting food grains into bio fuels is being blamed at least partly for the increasing cost of food.
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ADB assists Sri Lanka improve power capacity
The Government recently approved an ADB funded project to improve electricity services and support renewable energy. The ADB will provide a loan of US$ 164 million while counterpart funds from the Government of Sri Lanka would be an equivalent of US$ 24 million , LBO reported.
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Foreign aid to provide electricity to North and East
The Iran Aid Project, Asian Development Bank, International Co-operative agency and NORAD have granted loans for the provision of projects to provide electricity to the villages in the North and East under the concept of providing electricity to the villages islandwide, the Power and Energy Ministry said.