A special audit report has been released concerning the process of coal procurement by Lanka Coal Company for the Lakvijaya Power Plant and the supply of coal for the 2025/2026 period.
According to the report, the Auditor General revealed that the laboratory accredited by Trident Company, which reported findings at the Port of Petawawa during coal supply to Sri Lanka, had its license revoked.
The Auditor General provided this report in response to a notification submitted by the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises to the National Audit Office.
The report further revealed that by the date of the tender advertisement for coal supply, the winning bidder, Trident Company, had neither completed its registration nor fulfilled all registration requirements.
Regarding the procurement of coal for the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Power Plant for the 2025/2026 period, the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises requested a report from the Auditor General concerning both the procurement process and the fact that the coal supplied did not meet expected standards.
Accordingly, the National Audit Office has now issued a special audit report on the coal procurement process by Lanka Coal Company and the supply for the 2025/2026 period.
The report indicates that the advertisement clearly stated that coal would only be procured from suppliers whose registration had been fully completed by the date of the advertisement.
However, on that date, three suppliers who had not confirmed their registration despite paying the registration fee were still allowed to deliver coal, and Trident Company, which was selected for the procurement, had also not confirmed its registration by that time, the Auditor General observed.
The purchased coal is inspected for compliance with required standards at both the Port of Petawawa and the Godagama Port by an independent inspector. At Petawawa Port, there was no traceability for the inspection of coal samples according to the required standards for the company Mitra SK South Africa, appointed by the seller. Therefore, the responsibility to issue inspection reports was transferred on December 29, 2025, to the Indonesian company PT Mitra SK Analisa Testama Samarinda, whose license had expired.
However, during the audit, it was revealed that the company’s license had not been updated even by March 31, 2026.
Moreover, the audit report shows that Mitra SK South Africa issued reports despite the lack of traceability for the 12 shipments received at the Port of Petawawa.
The report further highlights that Lanka Coal Company had several opportunities to verify the Port of Petawawa inspection reports against data from the main control unit of the Lakvijaya Power Plant, but it did not take any action.
Additionally, due to an inability to transport coal to Sri Lanka throughout the year, the company failed to ensure coal supply within the optimal timeframe. The audit noted that during the 40-day period from November 13 to December 30, 2025, Lanka Coal Company failed to deliver any coal shipments to the country.
Consequently, a temporary procurement of coal occurred on March 18 of the following year. The selected company, Taranjot Resource Private Limited, had failed to supply the required coal with a gross calorific value of 5,900 kilocalories or higher for the 36 months prior to completing its registration, as needed by the Lakvijaya Power Plant, the report revealed.
Considering this situation, the Auditor General’s special audit report warns that failure to receive coal shipments on time and any potential future uncontrollable disruptions could negatively affect the power plant’s ability to maintain an uninterrupted electricity supply.
