Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Anil Jayantha said that if a severe drought occurs in the country in the future, the government and the public have only two options, the first of which is to cut off electricity and remain in the dark or the second is to obtain electricity at a higher cost.
The Deputy Minister pointed out that although an uncontrollable drought situation may arise due to natural causes, if that happens, the public will have to pay a certain price to manage the situation.
The Minister made this statement while participating in a political program held on a private television channel yesterday (15) in response to a direct question raised by a journalist regarding whether electricity tariffs will have to be increased in the face of the “El Nino” risk.
The Deputy Minister, who further commented, said that it is the responsibility of a government to provide electricity continuously without causing inconvenience to the public. He said that in such a situation, the cost of production may increase and the public will have to bear it. He also noted that even if the price of the medicines used increases, we should get used to paying the increasing electricity bill in the way we buy them.
Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha said that as a solution to the technical problem of integrating solar energy into the national grid due to its limited availability during the daytime, the government took a swift decision to establish a battery storage system with a capacity of 160 megawatts, and the results are already being seen.