- CEB claims that despite proposed changes to tariff, it will be lower than end last year
- Says the SOE has to pay off ‘legacy debt’
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) is set to issue the consultation paper tomorrow (20) on the latest electricity tariff revision proposal submitted by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).
Last week, the CEB submitted its latest tariff proposal for the second half of 2025 to the PUCSL.
Speaking to The Daily Morning, PUCSL’s Director of Communications Jayanat Herat said that the Commission would issue the consultation paper tomorrow (20), based on which public consultations on the tariff revision proposal will be held. "Public consultations will be held at the provincial level starting from 23 May, similar to previous occasions," he said.
The CEB submitted a new tariff proposal for the second half of 2025, claiming that the increase is necessary to recover essential costs and manage its financial burden, including what it describes as “legacy debt.” The CEB maintains that despite the proposed adjustment, electricity tariffs will still be approximately 5.4% lower than they were at the start of the year (2025), following a 20% tariff reduction implemented in early 2025 that brought the average rate down to around Rs. 24 per kilowatt-hour. The current proposal, it states, is only a partial correction for the under-recovery during the first half of the year.
In a statement, CEB Spokesperson Eng. Dhammike Wimalaratne stated that electricity tariff rates had remained unchanged from 2014 to 2022 despite rising costs of generation, fuel, coal, spare parts, and maintenance. It further read that the CEB absorbed these costs without raising prices, which led to heavy borrowing and delayed payments to suppliers – creating the 'legacy debt' it is now struggling to repay.
However, Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa condemned the proposed increase, claiming that the Government is attempting to pass on the CEB’s mismanagement and Rs. 18 billion loss in the first quarter of this year to the public. He pointed out that the Government had earlier promised a 13% reduction in electricity bills and said the sudden shift in direction was unacceptable. He further said that the SJB is ready to stand with the people and lead a democratic struggle against what he called an unfair and unjustified tariff hike.