Petroleum Demand

Demand for Different Petroleum Products

The demand for different petroleum products vary primarily on their potential usage. For instance, auto
diesel is widely used for transportation and power generation; in contrast to kerosene, which is used
only for rural household energy needs, some industrial applications, agriculture and fisheries. Therefore,
the demand for auto diesel is substantially higher than for kerosene. The refinery production process is
adjusted to produce more of the high demand products while some products are directly imported to
bridge the gap between refinery output and the demand. The demand for petroleum products
decreased in 2013 compared with 2012, owing to the reduced consumption in power generation. Table
1.4.16 summarises the demand for different petroleum products.

Table 1.4.16 Demand for Different Petroleum Products

Source: Sri Lanka Energy Balance 2013. Sustainable Energy Authority

Demand for Coal

Coal is an energy resource used in industries, rail transport and power generation. Until the first coal
power plant commissioned in 2011, coal was not a widely traded commodity in Sri Lanka (Table 1.4.17).

Table 1.4 17 Demand for Coal

 Source: Sri Lanka Energy Balance 2013. Sustainable Energy Authority

Demand for Biomass

As the most significant primary energy supply source in the country, biomass has a widespread demand
for both commercial and non-commercial applications. However, the informal nature of supply, mainly
through users own supply chains, has prevented accurate and comprehensive usage data being
compiled for biomass. Therefore, estimation methods are used to develop reasonable information based
on available data. Mid-year population data and LPG consumption are used to estimate household
firewood consumption. Meanwhile, industrial biomass consumption is estimated based on the industrial
production data and surveys. Most of the information on biomass presented is based on estimates and
sample surveys. Table 1.4.18 summarises the total usage of biomass from different sources

Bagasse is the waste form of sugar cane, which is used in sugar factories for combined heat and power
generation. By 2013, the bagasse production was 191 kt, generated from the Pelawatta and Sevanagala
sugar factories. Charcoal is produced mainly from coconut shell and wood. A major portion of the
production of coconut shell charcoal is exported as a non-energy product

Table 1.4.18 Demand for Biomass

Source: Sri Lanka Energy Balance 2013. Sustainable Energy Authority

1.4.5 Sectorial Energy Demand

Electricity Demand by Different End Use Categories
Based on the usage type, electricity consumers are separated into the following categories
Domestic

Religious purpose

Industrial

Commercial

Street Lighting

Amounts of electricity used by different customer categories are given in Table 1.4.19 which also
includes off-grid electricity generation using conventional and non-conventional sources. Although the
electrical energy demand of different end users is established using electricity sales data, individual
power demand of different categories cannot be established due to the lack of a monitoring system or
regular load research. Nevertheless, by analysing the typical load profiles of different user categories, it
is visible that the domestic category is most influential in the morning and evening peaks and the
consequent low load factor of the system.
Table 1.4.19 Electricity Sales by End Use Category

Source: Sri Lanka Energy Balance 2013. Sustainable Energy Authority

Figure 1.4.7 Electricity Sales by Consumer Category

Source: Sri Lanka Energy Balance 2013. Sustainable Energy Authority

 Petroleum Demand in Different Sectors
Petroleum has a wide range of applications as a convenient energy source. Transport, power generation,
industrial thermal applications, domestic lighting and cooking are the most common uses of petroleum
in Sri Lanka. In addition, due to the strategically important geographic location of Sri Lanka in terms of
maritime and aviation movements, foreign bunkering and aviation fuel sales also create a demand for
petroleum in the country.

i)Transport Sector
Transport is the most important sector as far as petroleum is concerned. Almost all the vehicles in Sri
Lanka are powered by either diesel or gasoline. Road transport is 100% fuelled by petroleum, while rail
transport is fuelled by diesel. The Internal Combustion (IC) engines in all these vehicles intrinsically
introduce considerable energy wastage in terms of conversion efficiency from petroleum energy to
motive power. Use of electricity to at least energize the train transportation can be an efficient and
economical alternative to burning petroleum fuels in the transport sector. Table 1.4.20 summarises the
demand for fuels in the transport sector. Table 1.4.21 summarises the auto diesel demand in road
transport and rail transport. Only a marginal share of 2.2% of the total transport diesel demand is
consumed by rail transport. The demand for transport fuels has increased in 2013, compared with 2012.
The demand for super diesel is marginal in the transport fuel mix.