Representatives of the Lakvijaya Power Plant, Lanka Coal Company (LCC), the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) attended the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) meeting on Infrastructure and Strategic Development held yesterday (12) under the chairmanship of Mr. S. M. Marikkar.
Upon examining the reports submitted by the CEB — including the Load Port reports, Discharge Port reports, and the reports prepared by the Lakvijaya Power Plant — it was revealed that the Load Port and Discharge Port reports did not correspond with the reports submitted by the Lakvijaya Power Plant. According to the Lakvijaya Power Plant reports, the Gross Calorific Value (GCV) of the first three coal shipments was recorded at less than 5,900 kcal per kilogram.
According to CEB documents, it was stated that the energy loss from the first shipment could be compensated through the imposition of penalties, whereas the losses incurred from the other shipments could not be similarly recovered. In this context, particularly since it appeared that the loss from the first shipment had been fully compensated, doubts were raised regarding the reliability of the Indian laboratory reports.
The Committee Chair recommended that, in order to verify the accuracy of the reports presented at the meeting, the Ministry of Power should arrange for independent laboratory testing concerning the relevant shipments.
Furthermore, it was proposed that the recommendations made by the Auditor General to revise the company registration requirements with Lanka Coal Company — based on the framework that existed prior to the 2023 economic crisis — should be implemented. The Committee also requested that necessary action be taken against the parties responsible for failing to inform the Cabinet of Ministers about the Auditor General’s recommendations.
Finally, the Public Utilities Commission was instructed to calculate and submit the actual financial loss incurred as a result of generating electricity using low-quality coal.
