Minister confirms electricity bills to go up from January

There should be a definite increase in electricity tariffs beginning from January in order to purchase the required coal shipments for the month, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said.

Accordingly, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) should provide Rs. 38.45 billion for January to purchase coal.

Addressing the media, Kanchana said that at the current tariff rates, the CEB will be able to collect a maximum of Rs. 32 billion per month, which is not sufficient for coal purchases.

With the increase in the electricity tariff, it will be easier to provide a continuous power supply and provide the electricity at the lowest possible cost.

A committee will be appointed to determine the new electricity unit prices. Later, the rates will be handed over to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) to implement the procedure legally, he said.

However, it has been proposed to revise the electricity tariff twice a year, the minister added. (Chaturanga Samarawickrame)