Severe risk to Sri Lanka's electricity generation due to El Niño effect.

It is reported that the country's electricity generation faces a severe impact due to the El Nino climate condition, which is expected to affect Sri Lanka in the coming months. Minister of Ports, Civil Aviation, and Energy, Anura Karunathilaka, stated in Parliament yesterday that the Ministry of Energy has already predicted that the national power grid will lose approximately 127 gigawatt-hours (127 GWh) of capacity in the future due to this situation.

The government has already focused on addressing this crisis, and special discussions have been held within the Ministry of Energy regarding alternative measures and future steps that can be taken. The Minister further emphasized that the government is well-prepared to successfully face any potential situation, and concurrently, the Ministries of Agriculture and Plantation Industries have also held separate discussions regarding measures to manage the impact of the El Nino condition.

The Minister revealed these facts in response to a question raised in Parliament by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament D.V. Chanaka regarding the government's preparedness. The MP pointed out that the power generation sector has already been severely affected by the use of substandard coal, and this crisis could further worsen with the disruption of hydropower production as a result of the El Nino condition. He also questioned what specific program the government has prepared to face this combined threat to food production and electricity generation.