• Electricity Consumers’ Asso. claims figure up from 300,000 last year

The Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) claimed that the number of families not consuming even one unit of electricity, which was close to 300,000 last year (2022), has now increased to 450,000.

Speaking to The Daily Morning after attending the public consultation session conducted by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) on the proposed electricity tariff revision, ECA Chairman Sanjeewa Dhammika charged that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) had increased electricity tariffs in August 2022 and February of this year (2023), based on unrealistic demand forecasts. “When the CEB presented those forecasts, we pointed out that they were not accurate, but the CEB did not heed our voice. Now, the CEB itself has admitted that what they did was wrong. As a result of such forecasts, he said that electricity consumers have had to suffer severe hardships in the prevailing economic crisis. “It is the consumers who have to compensate for what the CEB did. The country’s economy collapsed. Electricity consumption of industrialists has reduced by 20%. There were 300,000 families that did not consume even a single unit of electricity, and that number has now risen to over 450,000. This situation has incurred a significant loss to the CEB itself. That is why we say that these tariffs should be affordable to consumers.” 

Speaking further, Dhammika said that the PUCSL should consider the rationale presented by electricity consumers and various other related parties in approving the tariff revision that has been proposed by the CEB. “We made several submissions when the CEB was to revise tariffs in August 2022 and February of this year, but they were not considered. In the end, the CEB implemented tariff revisions in the way they wanted. We expect the PUCSL not to allow such a move this time. Especially since despite the CEB proposing an overall tariff revision of about 3%, there is a possibility of a reduction by 30%."

The CEB announced on 24 May that the existing electricity tariffs would be revised with effect from 1 July. Accordingly, the tariffs of the domestic category (first 30 units) would be reduced by a minimum of 23%, religious places by 7-23%, and the hotel category by 29-40%. The PUCSL held a public consultation on the tariff revision at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo yesterday (27).