Headline: President Assures Fuel Stability Amid 30 Billion Rupee Infrastructure Overhaul 📈

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has confirmed that Sri Lanka maintains sufficient fuel stocks despite Middle Eastern tensions, while announcing a Rs. 30 billion plan to address chronic storage and capacity limitations. • Current Fuel & Energy Reserves - Diesel: 33 days of stock available. - Petrol: 28 days (projected to reach 40 days following a 35,000 MT shipment on March 7/8). - Aviation Fuel: 49 days of supply. - Crude Oil: 26 days (extending to 44 days with shipments currently at sea). - LPG: 100,000 new Litro cylinders arriving March 12 to stabilize domestic supply. • Infrastructure & Capacity Fixes - Total Investment: Approximately Rs. 30 billion allocated for pipelines and storage. - Trincomalee: Rs. 7.37 billion for a new sea-to-land pipeline; 21 tanks under State control. - Kolonnawa: Rs. 3.77 billion for new tanks (86,000 MT capacity) due by Jan 2028. - Refinery: Plans to double capacity from 50,000 MT to 100,000 MT; 15 bids already received. - Pipelines: Rs. 12.8 billion for replacing 90-year-old lines from Kolonnawa to the Port. • Economic Safeguards - CBSL is assessing potential fallout on the financial sector and forex reserves. - Monitoring impacts on tourism, exports, and maritime services to maintain exchange rate stability. - 24-hour emergency lines established for 1 million overseas Sri Lankans via the Foreign Employment Bureau.