• Consumers urge legal action including arrests and indictments to recover losses  
• Energy Ministry denies reports of future power cuts

Electricity Consumers’ Association’s (ECA) General Secretary, Sanjeewa Dhammika said the Attorney General's Department (AG) should immediately institute legal action including seeking the arrest of those responsible over the financial losses caused by the use of substandard coal at the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai, and filing indictments.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (8), he alleged the country had suffered a loss of Rs. 8,497 million from the first nine coal shipments supplied to the Plant between December of last year (2025) and February 2026, and insisted that the burden should not be passed on to electricity consumers.

He also said that a report issued by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) had revealed a considerable deterioration in Plant performance and efficiency after switching to the current coal supplier. 

"The report shows that under the previous supplier, only 0.046 kilograms (kg) of coal was required to produce one unit of electricity. With coal from the present supplier, 0.093 kg was needed to generate the same unit. This amounts to a 102 per cent increase in coal usage per unit of electricity, which reflects a serious decline in quality." Dhammika said that the PUCSL report made clear that the coal stocks had been used for power generation before the necessary tests were completed, despite the relevant provisions of the coal supply agreement stating that coal should not be used until the quality is verified. “Do not try to increase the electricity bill. The people cannot pay. This loss should be recovered personally from the subject Minister, the Ministry Secretary and the officials of the Procurement Committee,” he said.

The PUCSL, in the observations section of its report on the coal supplied to the Plant, stated that the recently imported coal resulted in a lower generation capacity, higher coal consumption, increased emissions and a series of operational concerns. The report, seen by The Daily Morning, noted that the Plant did not operate at full capacity when using the nine shipments received from the current supplier. Under the previous supplier, each unit had recorded an average gross generation capacity of 300 megawatts. 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy dismissed reports circulating in some media outlets claiming that problems related to coal supplies could lead to power cuts in the coming months.

In a statement, the Ministry stated that 22 out of the 36 coal shipments ordered for the Norochcholai power plant had already been unloaded and that the plant was operating normally. The supplier had also assured that the remaining shipments would be delivered without interruption.

The Ministry further stated that preliminary arrangements had been made for emergency coal supplies if necessary and that sufficient fuel oil stocks for power generation are available until the end of April.

Accordingly, the Ministry stressed that there would be no power cuts as reported and urged the public not to be misled by  false and misleading news.