The Sunday Times reported the MoU will be signed when China's President Xi Jingping visits Colombo on September 16th, with Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Minister Pavitra Wanniarachchi, adding the increased Chinese role will ensure there will not be “any future technical failures.”
Jellyfish reportedly clogged up filters at the trouble-plagued plant, with officials struggling to fix it before the Chinese President's visit. Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Media Spokesman Senajith Dassanayake said,
“Around 30-40 divers have to be used to remove these creatures from the filters. We were hoping to remove these creatures from the filters of Unit 1, but unfortunately, seas these days are extremely rough in the area and the divers haven’t been able to go in thus far.”
In 2012, an earlier breakdown at the plant had caused island-wide power shortages.
See our earlier posts:
26th breakdown and counting (11 January 2014)
Chinese power plant failure causes nationwide power cuts (25 July 2012)
12 breakdowns since power plant opening (21 August 2012)
Chinese engineers flown in amid questions of sabotage (18 August 2012)