COPE summons CEB, PUCSL and Power Ministry over private power purchases

Aug 06, 2018 (LBO) - The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), has summoned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy and Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) to investigate the purchasing of electricity from private power plants and requested to table the reports with relevant information by tomorrow (07th).

The Auditor General’s department was also conducting an audit on the procurement system of CEB on purchasing power from independent power producers and would also table the report on tomorrow.

The CEB signed a three-year power purchase agreement with 100 MW ACE Embilipitiya power plant operated by Sri Lanka’s blue-chip conglomerate Aitken Spence on 05^th of April 2018 to obtain power.

The Cabinet approval for purchasing power from ACE Embilipitiya was gained but the regulator PUCSL did not approve the agreement citing the tender awarding procedure was not transparent and illegal.

The CEB paid 850 million rupees for the month of April 2018 to ACE Embilipitiya for the power that purchased with a special approval from Dr Suren Batagoda, Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy.