• 10% reduction for 31-60 unit bracket

The State-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has proposed a significant tariff reduction of approximately 28% for over 1.7 million domestic electricity consumers who fall under the consumption block of 0-30 units, The Sunday Morning learns.

It is learnt that the average electricity bill of these low consumption consumers is around Rs. 751 and following the proposed revision on 1 July, the average electricity bill for the consumption block (0-30 units) is expected to reduce to around Rs. 543.

According to CEB statistics, the average consumption by low consumption consumers is said to be around 12 kWh.

The new proposal has already been submitted to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for approval, after which the new tariffs are expected to come into effect from 1 July.

As per the latest electricity tariff mechanism, the tariff will be reviewed twice annually. The adjusted tariff will be announced on 1 January and 1 July every year.

The upcoming tariff revision is the first review to come into effect since the expansive tariff hike introduced in February this year.

The CEB has also suggested a 10% tariff reduction for consumers who fall under the user category of 31-60 units and a 7% reduction for those who fall under the 61-90 unit category.

It is also learnt that the average consumption of consumers who fall under the unit categories of 31-60 and 61-90 is around 47 kWh and 75 kWh respectively.

Consumers falling under unit categories of 91-120, 121-180, and 180 and above will see a reduction of 5%, 3%, and 2% respectively of their total bill from 1 July.

In the proposed tariff revision suggested by the CEB for the second half of this year, the fixed charges of consumers who fall under the categories of 91-120, 121-180, and above 181 will remain unchanged while the fixed rates of those who fall under the categories of 0-30, 31-60, and 61-90 will be reduced from the current rates of Rs. 400, Rs. 550, and Rs. 650 to Rs. 250, Rs. 500, and Rs. 600 respectively.

The unit charges too will be dropped from Rs. 30, Rs. 37, and Rs. 42 to Rs. 25, Rs. 36, and Rs. 39 respectively.

The unit prices and fixed rates for religious institutions and other charitable institutions that fall under the unit categories of 0-30, 31-90, and 91-120 too will be reduced in the upcoming tariff revision.

Accordingly, each category will see a reduction of unit prices to Rs. 25, Rs. 36, and Rs. 39 from Rs. 30, Rs. 37, and Rs. 42 and fixed rates to Rs. 250, Rs. 500, and Rs. 600 from Rs. 400, Rs. 550, and Rs. 650 respectively.

Electricity tariffs were raised in August 2022 and then again on 15 February this year in line with commitments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan facility and amid plans to unbundle the CEB.

In such a backdrop, former Chairman of the PUCSL Janaka Ratnayake recently stressed that electricity consumers should receive an immediate electricity tariff reduction by approximately 20%, given the recent reductions in electricity demand, foreign exchange rates, and fuel prices.

However, when The Sunday Morning spoke to CEB Chairman Nalinda Illangakoon in this regard, he stressed that the new tariff proposal had already been submitted to the PUCSL for its approval.

“We submitted the new tariff proposal for approval to the PUCSL on 15 May. We are still waiting for approval. Once we receive approval, we will introduce new tariffs from 1 July,” he said.