By is in profit State-run Ceylon Electricity Board is making operational profits after a surge in hydropower generation and price hikes, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said.
The CEB is making daily operational profits of 270 to 300 million rupees a day with more hydropower being generated,
he said.
On Thursday, September 08, around 75 percent of the daily 39.98 GigaWatt hours of energy was developed from renewable sources. CEB hydro brought it 22.96 GWh and CEB wind brought it 2.06GWh.
There are also mini-hydro and rooftop solar which are not dispatched and are not in the data.
“We think the CEB would be able to make about 8.0 billion rupees this month,”
Ratnayake said.
“The money can be used to repay part of the 100 billion rupees of short-term debt owned to mini-hydro, private thermal generators, and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.”
Unlike the CEB’s own hydro plants which may cost 3 rupees a unit or less, private renewable energy producers have to be paid higher rates.
Mass movement not to pay electricity bills
Omalpe Sobitha Thero claims is planning to initiate a mass campaign in Sri Lanka against the increased electricity tariffs by promoting the non-payment of electricity bills, in protest of the hikes.
The protest was held in front of the Bodhiraja Dharmayathanaya in Embilipitiya yesterday with the attendance of the Maha Sangha led by the Thero.
He pointed out that citizens in the UK are opposing the increased tariffs there and the same must take place in Sri Lanka.
“Hundreds of thousands are signing petitions against the hikes in the UK. We will commence a program to promote the non-payment of bills by taking the Gandhian approach in Sri Lanka,”
he said.
