The Public Utilities Commission will kick off work as a multi-sector watchdog, shadow regulating electricity services and later, the unbundled Ceylon Electricity Board.
But the recent Cabinet decision only gives the Commission a passive consultants role and does not include any authority over the sector and the CEB.
“There was a Cabinet decision recently for the Minister to regulate the electricity sector with assistance from the PUC,” Director General, PUC, Dr. Priyantha Wijetunga said.
Although the PUC was set up as the multi-sector regulator for electricity and water services, until recently the fully functional body had nothing to regulate.
Electricity regulation is still under the Minister of Power and Energy since regulatory powers are yet to be legally transferred to the PUC.
“For the PUC to legally regulate electricity, the relevant parts of the 2002 Electricity Reforms Act have to be gazetted,” Wijetunga explained.
However under the latest cabinet decision, the