- CEB proposes 6.8% hike to PUCSL
- PUCSL to announce details this week
- CEB reports Rs. 5.31 b profit in Q2 2025
- PUCSL approved 15% tariff hike in June
Despite ongoing trade union actions and the ongoing restructuring process, the State-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) submitted its proposal for the next tariff revision to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) last week, according to highly-placed sources.
A senior PUCSL official confirmed receipt of the proposal but would not discuss the details of the CEB’s suggested tariffs. The commission is expected to release the proposal this week.
However, a senior CEB official confirmed to The Sunday Morning that the board had requested a 6.8% increase, which has not been approved by the PUCSL yet.
The CEB reported a profit of Rs. 5.31 billion for the quarter ending 30 June, a major improvement from the Rs. 18.47 billion losses in the previous quarter. This turnaround is attributed to the electricity tariff revision in June this year.
However, the profit still represents an 85% decline compared to Rs. 34.53 billion in the same quarter of 2024. Earlier tariff cuts of around 20% in January 2025 contributed to first-quarter losses. The tariff adjustment aligns with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recommendation to restore cost-reflective electricity pricing for Sri Lanka’s next Extended Fund Facility tranche.
The PUCSL stated that the CEB’s first-quarter 2025 loss could not be included in the June–December 2025 tariff calculation. Any deficit or surplus from January–June 2025 will be adjusted in January–June 2026. A surplus of Rs. 51,098 million from the first half of 2024 is sufficient to offset the first-quarter loss, so no financial deficit needs to be accommodated.
The PUCSL also rejected a negative revenue adjustment of Rs. 8,283 million queried by the Auditor General. For June–December 2025, the CEB forecasts total electricity sales of 9,329 GWh, generating Rs. 230,714 million, mostly from domestic end-users (8,490 GWh, Rs. 210,673 million) with smaller sales to the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) (840 GWh, Rs. 20,040 million).
The PUCSL approved a 15% increase in electricity tariffs for the second half of 2025, effective from 12 June. The CEB had initially proposed an 18.3% increase, but after public consultations and review, the final revision was set at 15%.
Domestic tariffs were raised across all consumption categories, with smaller users (<30 units) seeing an 8% increase in unit price (Rs. 4 to Rs. 4.50) and a Rs. 5 rise in fixed charges. Higher consumption brackets experienced larger unit price increases, while fixed charges largely remained unchanged for most categories. Tariffs for religious, charitable, industrial, hotel, and general-purpose categories were also increased.
Attempts made to contact CEB Chairman Prof. Udayanga Hemapala, CEB General Manager Wasantha Edussuriya, and CEB Spokesperson Dhammike Wimalaratne regarding the proposal were futile.