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Sri Lanka renewables, power lines without tender to be legalized in new law: IESL
ECONOMYNEXT –Procurement of renewable energy as well as transmission lines without competitive tenders will be legalized in a planned electricity reform law, the Institution of Engineers of Sri Lanka has warned.
“Despite declaring the objects of the proposed Act to be “allowing open competitive procurement of new generation capacity including renewable energy”, the body of this Act states the complete opposite,” the IESL said.
“The present practice of procuring renewable energy projects at higher prices through negotiated deals and at feed-in-tariffs that never decrease, has been further strengthened by incorporating it into the main electricity legislation in the country, when most countries have given up such practices long ago to make way for competition.
“The proposed Act does not have clauses that bring any relief to Sri Lanka’s electricity customer, burdened with prices almost double that of competitor countries in the region.
“Similarly, procurement of transmission capacity can be non-competitive…”
Privately owned transmission can also be procured without competition, the IESL said.
India’s Adani is expected to build a transmission line apparently without competitive tender.
It is also building the largest renewable plant in the island so far without competitive tender.
Related India’s Adani to build Sri Lanka transmission line with wind plants
The IESL said the powers of the Public Utilities Commission would also be watered down through the new law.
“This Council and the Minister have been bestowed with powers to decide on electricity tariff policy and approval of the long-term power generation and transmission plans, too, making a mockery of these highly technical functions so far handled by the PUCSL,” the IESL said.
“Instead of strengthening the existing regulatory functions and capacity of PUCSL, this Act makes PUCSL an agency that merely implements what the Minister and his Council decides.
“The worldwide best practice is otherwise: a stronger, highly professional and fiercely independent regulator implements the law and the policy, through licensing.”
The full statement is reproduced below:
The Proposed Sri Lanka Electricity Act 2024
The Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) is the apex body representing over 25,000 professional engineers. IESL has closely followed the developments in the electricity supply industry, making constructive recommendations to ensure customers receive a reliable electricity supply at a regionally competitive price. Sadly, both the above conditions have not been fulfilled owing to actions or inaction of governments and sector institutions. The electricity sector has been moving from one crisis to another. In the ongoing efforts to reform the sector, IESL made several representations to the government since 2022. Sadly, the proposed Act tabled in Parliament in April 2024 does not reflect most necessary recommendations of IESL and other stakeholders who value meaningful reforms, thus failing to bring solutions to several serious shortcomings in the sector.
Instead of making the sector governance simpler and the government intervention smaller, the proposed Act creates a new institution called an Advisory Council. It duplicates some functions or transfers some functions of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) – the regulator, to the Council.
The proposed Act hands over the role of the government as the policy maker to the Advisory Council appointed solely by the Minister of Power and Energy. This Council and the Minister have been bestowed with powers to decide on electricity tariff policy and approval of the long-term power generation and transmission plans, too, making a mockery of these highly technical functions so far handled by the PUCSL. Instead of strengthening the existing regulatory functions and capacity of PUCSL, this Act makes PUCSL an agency that merely implements what the Minister and his Council decides. The worldwide best practice is otherwise: a stronger, highly professional and fiercely independent regulator implements the law and the policy, through licensing.
Despite declaring the objects of the proposed Act to be “allowing open competitive procurement of new generation capacity including renewable energy”, the body of this Act states the complete opposite. The present practice of procuring renewable energy projects at higher prices through negotiated deals and at feed-in-tariffs that never decrease, has been further strengthened by incorporating it into the main electricity legislation in the country, when most countries have given up such practices long ago to make way for competition. The proposed Act does not have clauses that bring any relief to Sri Lanka’s electricity customer, burdened with prices almost double that of competitor countries in the region. Similarly, procurement of transmission capacity can be non-competitive, and in addition this Act allows private transmission lines.
The proposed Act allows private investments in generation, transmission, and distribution. However, the authority to grant a license to conduct such a business, presently with PUCSL (which is the worldwide practice in power sector reforms), will now be transferred to the Minister by this Act. Such “political” approval of licenses for a commercial business, at a time when Sri Lanka embarks on the next phase of reforms by inviting private investments to transmission and distribution, will make the reforms meaningless.
With private ownership allowed into 100% of each generation and distribution entity, safeguards to prevent formation of monopolies are grossly inadequate.
Technical matters too, have not been addressed adequately. The grid and technical codes thereof have been defined to be “above 33 kV”, ignoring the need for a distribution code, in an era where distributed generation is growing and would eventually be the main supplier of generation. This not only brings an unregulated block of generation and power wheeling across distribution networks, without adequate technical safety and economic regulation. Serious control problems leading to brownouts or blackouts cannot be avoided.
IESL calls upon the government to seriously review these glaring shortcomings and amend the proposed Act to ensure the above and other serious deficiencies pointed out by our detailed report are rectified. Without revisions, this Act will further aggravate problems of governance, unreliability, and high costs, that have plagued the electricity sector for decades. The proposed Act, if implemented without these amendments, is designed to fail technically and economically, with excessive political interference at every turn.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
