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CEB engineers to continue fight for competitive bidding 

16 Jun 2022

  • COPE Chair receives ex-CEB Chair’s retraction letter
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) yesterday (15) said that it would continue the fight for competitive bidding in private power purchases, despite Parliament having passed an amendment to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act to eliminate competitive bidding last week.  “We do not have anything against renewable energy or the Adani Group; we too support renewable energy projects. However, we are against removing the competitive bidding process from private power purchases. Even when purchasing something small from a shop, one seeks the cheapest option; that is the same principle we want here,” CEBEU President Anil Ranjith said yesterday while addressing a media briefing.  He said that despite some groups of the public also being against the CEBEU at the moment, the CEBEU will not give up the fight for competitive bidding, as it would only bring benefits to the general public.  “We will not stop this. We are trying to provide the advantage to the public someday. The public also spoke against us, but we are on their side. We will continue the fight, but we will not engage in shutting down the power supply. In a few years, the public will understand the impact of this amendment,” noted Ranjith.  Speaking further on the Adani Group, Ranjith reiterated that the CEBEU has no issue with Adani developing renewable energy projects, as long as this occurs under a competitive bidding process.  “But the Government wanted to give a project to the Adani Group. This was shown clearly in former CEB Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando’s statement at the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) last week,” said Ranjith.  In a highly controversial statement last week, Ferdinando told the COPE that he had been directed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to facilitate the project upon the wishes of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  He made this statement the day after Parliament passed an amendment to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, which eliminates the competitive bidding process for private power purchases, and which some Opposition lawmakers have alleged was done to pave the way for companies like Adani to enter Sri Lanka’s energy sector. Ferdinando later retracted his statement and resigned from his position, while the President’s office issued a denial of such an occurrence. This week, the Adani Group expressed its disappointment over the controversy.  Yesterday, COPE Chairman Prof. Charitha Herath stated on Twitter that he had received a letter from Ferdinando requesting a withdrawal of the statement he had made last week.  Meanwhile, Ranjith said: “A large project like the one that Adani is proposing will take at least three years to develop. We are not against renewable energy. Right now, rooftop solar panels should be fitted and within three or five months that can be implemented to get renewable energy. There is no need for competitive bidding for projects less than 10 MW, but if they are greater than 10 MW, then competitive bidding is needed lest it be unfair to the public.”  A similar compromise was proposed by Samagi Jana Balawegaya Opposition MP Dr. Harsha de Silva when the Parliament debate about the amendment took place last week, although his “compromise amendment” failed to be passed.  “I fought hard to ensure transparency in procuring large renewable energy projects by proposing a compromise amendment to do away with tenders for projects generating less than 10 MW. My amendment got 54 votes. Sri Lanka now joins an odd group of nations blocking competition. This goes against good governance,” Dr. de Silva posted on Twitter, following the vote.


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