Kanchana Wijesekera, Minister of Power and Energy has stated that he will not take up the request made by CEB officials to increase electricity tariffs unless they support renewable energy generation plans.
The Minister pointed out that the CEB should be allowed to carry forward renewable projects.
He also stressed that the CEB should take steps to reduce the cost of generating electricity rather than increasing tariffs to pay their salaries.
The Ceylon Electricity Board has a collective agreement to increase their salaries by 25% every three years.
The minister said that without any plan to reduce the cost of generation or support renewable energy, the high cost of wages and generation costs would be borne by consumers and hence it can’t be allowed.
He also hoped that Parliament would support amendments to the CEB Act that would allow for the speedy approval and implementation of long-delayed renewable energy projects, which are essential for the development of the power sector and the economy.
The Minister also revealed that the CEB Engineers’ Association had discussed the possibility of a power outage throughout the country showing displease with the amendment.
The Energy minister also said that the unions, which had lost their right to provide uninterrupted power supply, renewable energy, and low-cost power, were using the threat of protests to block necessary reforms.
