Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera yesterday said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has given instructions to provide relief to the parties facing difficulties with the implementation of the electricity tariff revision approved by the Public Utilities Commission.
He said that the Power and Energy Ministry has decided to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the country from yesterday (16) after nearly one year.
The Minister added that the new tariff scheme has been proposed only to cover the cost of generating electricity and not to get any profit or additional income for the Electricity Board.
The Minister also said that the President has given instructions to focus on providing uninterrupted power supply to the country while ensuring relief to low-income families. Speaking at a press conference in Colombo Minister Wijesekera said the President has given instructions to focus on providing solar panels for religious places and government educational institutions.
The Minister said that he brought in a electricity generation plan aiming to provide a continuous electricity supply after having a tariff revision from January 1.
“With the obstruction of several parties the proposal to increase electricity tariff could not be implemented. If the proposal I brought in January last year, was implemented, it would have been more easier to the CEB,” he added.
The Minister pointed out that some parties are attempting to spread rumours that the tariff revision is done in order to cover the previous losses of the CEB.
However the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has to spent more on coal and other power sources for a continuous electricity supply. For this the CEB should become financially strong to provide coal and fuel for coal and thermal power plants.
Having reached some negotiations, the Bank of Ceylon (BOC) has agreed to provide an additional loan of Rs. 22 billion for the purchase of coal, with the approval being granted for the electricity tariff revision.
“But the new system has been proposed only to cover the electricity generating cost,” he said.
According to IMF directives funds cannot be provided for the public institutions such as CEB, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and SriLankan Airlines from the Treasury or the Central Bank anymore, he added.
However the Minister noted that there won’t be any other hike in the electricity tariff in the near future. By implementing this tariff system, the government hopes to continue an uninterrupted electricity supply, Minister Wijesekara said.