In the wake of calls by the Electricity Consumers Association (ECA) for the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) to announce clear deadlines for electricity tariff revision proposals, the latter stated that there is no scope for it to impose such requirements by law.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, PUCSL Director - Communications, Jayanat Herat said that tariff revisions are guided by Government policy and that the Commission’s role begins only after a proposal is submitted. “We have not received a tariff revision proposal so far. The Government determines the policy framework for tariff revisions, and decisions are taken based on that policy. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will decide if tariffs are revised once, twice, thrice, or four times a year. We cannot impose a law in this regard. Once a proposal is received, we will proceed according to the tariff methodology,” he said.

The clarification follows concerns raised by the ECA, which has urged the PUCSL to specify firm timelines for the CEB to submit tariff revision proposals. The ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said recently that the current electricity tariffs are due to lapse at the end of this year (2025), with a new revision expected to take effect from January of next year (2026). He claimed that there was no indication that the CEB was preparing to submit a proposal in a timely manner.

The ECA has also maintained that the next tariff revision should bring a notable reduction for consumers, citing increased hydropower generation in recent months. Dhammika alleged that earlier CEB projections on hydropower availability were inaccurate, resulting in higher tariffs that consumers had to absorb.

When contacted, the Energy Ministry Secretary and Acting CEB Chairperson, Prof. Udayanga Hemapala said last week that the original deadline for submitting the tariff revision proposal was 15 November. He said that the CEB had requested an extension from the PUCSL and that the proposal would be submitted shortly.