China is always prepared to assist in Sri Lanka’s development efforts and that the construction of the Norochcholai coal power plant has made Sri Lanka become a country within South Asia with a strong supply of electricity, said Deputy Ambassador of China in Sri Lanka Ren Fanqing while attending an event at the Thurstan College in Colombo this morning.

He added that according to his knowledge Sri Lanka is the only country in South Asia that does not resort to long power cuts and this is due to the construction of the Norochcholai coal power plant.

The second phase of the Norochcholai coal power plant is to be commissioned soon, said the Deputy Ambassador while adding that the cost of generating a kilowatt of electricity from coal is only rupees eight.

However, generating a kilowatt of electricity from diesel would cost around Rs. 56 and hence Sri Lanka’s electricity generation costs have been reduced due to the construction of the Norochcholai coal power plant, he said.