4th Week of September 2022 - 30,000 MT of Ilmenite to China, lifting the ban on Glyphosate, Sulfur in Crude Oil, Kerosene Shortage ...etc
Ilmenite in Raw material form - 30000 MT exported
Trincomalee Port kicked off export operations after 30 years of silence due to the war between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tigers. The first shipment was 30,000 MT of ilmenite which is being exported to China.
Lifting the Ban on Glyphosate for 6 months
Cabinet increased the existing pre-payment limit from 50,000 to 250,000 USD to import identified agricultural seeds, agrochemicals and chemical fertilizers. Separately cabinet approved the importation of glyphosate quantities necessary for all agricultural purposes of the 2022/2023 Maha Season.
PUCSL chairman smells sulfur in crude oil
PUCSL Chairman has accused Sri Lankan authorities of importing crude oil which contains a high rate of sulfur. He built a connection between this and power cuts.
Anbarasan Ethirajan
Hon. Minister to respond legally
Power and Energy minister Hon. Kanchana Wijesekara said CPC will respond legally to this accusation of the PUCSL chairman. He said CPC have enough diesel and fuel oil in stock; the power cuts are due to a breakdown in Laxapana.
Kerosene Shortage stops 27,000 small-scale fishing boats
Kerosene shortage and price hikes have affected more than 200,000 direct and indirect employment since nearly 27000 small fishing boats are kept idle for more than 4 months due to kerosene shortage and price hikes.
First Consignment of Glyphosate to arrive in Sri Lanka on December 2022
The first consignment of Glyphosate is to arrive in Sri Lanka by December 2022, initial purchases will handle through CPC and the government is planning to restrict private entities entering the importation of this popular weedicide. The tea and rubber industries will be given priority as Glyphosate is essential in their operations. The tea industry alone needs 500,000 litres of Glyphosate per annum and industry insiders say this time they will need more given that weed control has not been touched for a while due to the ban.
Traditional Coconut Oil Farmers protested
They protested against low-quality imported cooking oil and the exportation of coconut which affect their business model.
Eco-Labelling for Construction Chemicals and Products
National Cleaner Production Centre conducted an awareness session on Eco Labelling for Construction Chemicals & Products. The session held online on the 29th of September 2022 from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm.
The stakeholder meeting on Technical Guideline Development for Environmentally Sound Management of mercury waste
The Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka is conducting the project "Strengthening National Capacity for phasing out mercury-added products and environmentally sound management of waste consisting of, contaminated with and containing mercury in Sri Lanka '' in order to fulfil the obligations of the Minamata Convention. The project has been assigned to the National Cleaner Production Centre, which is acting as the technical consultancy organization for the project. As a part of this project a “National technical guideline on Environmentally Sound Management of mercury waste” will be developed with the support of relevant stakeholder consultation. In this regard, the 1st stakeholder meeting on Technical Guideline Development for Environmentally Sound Management of mercury waste was held on 30th September 2022 from 9.00 am onwards at Conference Room, Second Floor, ‘Sobadam Piyasa’, Ministry of Environment.
Power and Energy Minster visited CPC refinery amid high sulfur complains
The Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara visited (29th Sep) the Sapugaskanda refinery amid the questions raised by PUCSL chairman and Petroleum Unions on the higher rate of sulfur contained in a newly procured batch of crude oil - Russian Urals Crude Oil.
350 MW Sobadanavi LNG power plant to commence next year
The power and energy minister Kanchana Wijesekara told that Sobadanavi Liquefied Neutral Gas (LNG) 350 MW power plant will be commenced next year (2023)
Neighbours and Union leaders complain about the bad odour from the CPC refinery
Neighbours complain of unbearable odour and most of them do not seem to have any clue about what's going on. Union leaders complain and draw a line between the new batch of crude oil - Russian Urals.