Ravi grills government on CEB surplus, tariffs

Colombo, Sept. 11 (Daily Mirror) - United National Party (UNP) MP Ravi Karunanayake raised several concerns in Parliament regarding the management of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Government’s future energy policy.

Speaking in Parliament, Karunanayake pointed out that the CEB’s total expenditure in 2024 stood at Rs. 470 billion, while revenues had reached Rs. 615 billion, resulting in a significant surplus. 

He questioned what measures were being taken to ensure this surplus was directed towards debt reduction and efficiency improvements. 

He further noted that transmission, distribution, and corporate costs accounted for as much as 8.5% of total costs, asking what steps the Government intended to take to streamline operations and reduce overheads in order to pass on the benefit to consumers through lower tariffs.

Highlighting the energy mix, Karunanayake observed that renewable energy accounted for 51% of power generation in 2024 at a cost of Rs. 72.41 billion, compared to thermal generation which contributed 49% at a much higher Rs. 272 billion. 

He asked whether the Government would recommit to increasing renewable energy generation—which involves no foreign exchange outflow—and reintroduce viable commercial rates to encourage private investment in the sector.

The MP also raised concerns over policy decisions discouraging battery storage, noting that duty-free imports had been disallowed and the buy-back period restricted to 10 years instead of the full 20-year lifecycle. “Why has this decision been taken?” he questioned.