The Sri Lankan electricity board has announced it will cut the electricity supply across the country for three hours a day, after the Chinese-built Norocholai coal power plant failed for the 5th time in 16 months.
"We are facing difficulties in balancing the supply and demand," the ministry said in a statement. "The only alternative is to carry out power cuts across the country until further notice."
The drought on the island has compunded the problem in electricity supply from hydro-power plants.
During the Norocholai power plant's last failure in February, the Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka said that each day the plant wasn't in operation, cost the Ceylon Electricity Board Rs109 million in losses every day.
The power plant was built by the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMEC) who were paid by Sri Lanka using a US$450 million loan from China’s EXIM Bank.
