Electricity tariff revision to be announced on June 30 – PUCSL

Electricity tariffs are expected to be revised with effect from July 01, 2023, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said.

Janaka Ratnayake said that the PUCSL will announce new electricity tariffs on June 30, 2023.

According to Section 30 of the Sri Lanka Electricity Act and Section 17 of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act, the views of the public will also be considered in the final tariff revision, he said.

Issuing a statement in this regard, Ratnayake said “We have invited comments and suggestions from the public regarding the 3 percent electricity tariff reduction proposal presented by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the alternative proposal presented by the Commission”.

“The public can submit their comments and suggestions in writing till June 20. There will also be an opportunity to submit oral comments regarding the tariff revision. We invite all parties to actively participate in this fee-setting process,” he said.

The PUCSL Chairman also raised concerns pertaining to the increasing energy poverty in Sri Lanka, adding that, as per the government’s statistics, the number of families currently facing extreme poverty stands at a figure of three million.

“This group uses between 0 and 60 units of electricity per month. According to new data on electricity consumption, the number of electricity consumers who do not use a single unit per month has increased to 436,000 as of last February. About 600,000 of consumers who used more than 90 units per month fell into the categories of consuming less than 60 units. These data show that energy poverty has increased due to the recent increase in electricity tariffs. This situation should be rectified immediately”, he emphasised.

Consumers who consume less than 120 units in the domestic sector, religious places, and tourist hotels, who were unfairly affected by the baseless tariff revision implemented last February, should be given justice in this tariff revision, he added.