CEB to submit proposal for lowering power tariffs soon

By Rathindra Kuruwita and Ifham Nizam

Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera said yesterday (03) that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) would submit to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) a proposal to reduce electricity tariffs soon. Hydrop power generation has increased during the past several months. The cost of a unit of hydropower is only three rupees.

Minister Wijesekera said that he would also present the proposal to reform the CEB to Parliament soon.

The Minister said he had instructed the CEB management to suspend and take appropriate disciplinary action against any employee that disrupts the services or acts in violation of the guidelines issued by the CEB management.

The proposed reforms would be presented to Parliament with amendments for approval shortly, the Minister said.

The minister said the reforms were aimed at streamlining operations, optimising resource allocation, and enhancing the CEB’s overall performance.

The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU), however, has said that reforms should be transparent.

CEBEU has already pointed out to the authorities that despite the ambitious timeline of the government, the reform committee and the Ministry of Power have not adopted an open and transparent approach or had any consultation with the employees of the CEB.

The union said that CEB employees were the main stakeholders in the restructuring process. “It would be unfair to identify previous meetings trade unions had with the Minister as proper “Stakeholder Consultations” as trade unions didn’t have a proper understanding of the Ministry’s plans for reforms. The draft Bill was not shared with any party until publication on December 08, 2023,” a Senior Electrical Engineer said.