Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa alleged that a ninth coal shipment imported from South Africa for the Norochcholai coal power plant was of substandard quality, citing what he described as real-time operational data from the facility.
Premadasa said that eight previous coal shipments brought from South Africa had already been proven to be substandard with evidence, and that data relating to the latest shipment indicated a similar issue.
He made the remarks after attending an event at the Sri Kalyanadharma Abhinawarama Temple in Homagama, where he participated in the opening of a gold fence constructed around the sacred Bo tree.
According to Premadasa, combustion reports and data on the quantity of coal required per kilowatt-hour to generate electricity showed discrepancies in output at the Norochcholai plant, which has a total installed capacity of 900 megawatts.
He claimed that while each unit is expected to generate 300 megawatts, the first and third units had produced only 250 megawatts and 275 megawatts respectively. In contrast, the second unit had generated the full 300 megawatts, which he attributed to the use of higher-quality coal imported from Russia.
Premadasa further alleged that between 25 and 27 coal shipments had been imported from South Africa under the current government, and maintained that evidence had already established that the coal supplied was of inferior quality.
He said the latest data indicated what he described as serious irregularities in the procurement and supply process, adding that the alleged issue had caused significant damage. (Newswire)