• Focus on quality, procurement processes, environmental impact 

Deputy Environment Minister Anton Jayakody said the Government is planning to conduct a forensic audit into coal imports to Sri Lanka over the years, with particular attention to the environmental impact and procurement practices surrounding the shipments.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (12), he noted that Sri Lanka has relied on coal imports for power generation for many years and that the proposed forensic audit will examine shipments imported over a long period. 

“This will be a large and complex undertaking as it would require reviewing shipments imported over many years. The audit will look into aspects such as the coal quality, procurement practices and the environmental impact,” he said.

He added that in previous years too, coal containing high levels of sulphur and fly ash had been imported, and that those procurements had been carried out by companies based on Cabinet of Ministers approvals. “Most of those imports have been done by companies selected based on political affiliations. When we try to carry out the process in a transparent manner, they make various allegations."

Jayakody's comments come in the wake of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) pointing to a range of operational concerns linked to the recently imported coal used at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant, Norochcholai. 

In its report on the coal supplied to the Plant, the Commission stated that the use of the recently imported coal resulted in a lower generation capacity, higher coal consumption, increased emissions and other operational issues. The PUCSL also raised concerns about compliance with the Environmental Protection Licence Condition Number Eight, which requires a clearly defined coal rejection protocol and states that no consignment should be used until all the required quality checks are completed and verified. 

The Commission noted the protocol submitted does not clearly outline rejection scenarios and observed that feeding coal into the system before completing the necessary quality verification could create a risk of non-compliance.