• Claims same will be used for unnecessary expenses, to settle debts, with no benefit to consumers 

The Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) yesterday (21) charged that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), despite recording a profit of Rs. 5.31 billion for the quarter ending on 30 June 2025, would not pass the benefit onto the public but instead use it to cover unnecessary expenditure and settle debts.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said that the profit was achieved largely due to the recent tariff hikes but stressed that consumers, who bore the cost of that increase, would not see any relief. 

“When a tariff revision is being made, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) consults the public and calls for opinions, but, in the end, those views are ignored. Instead, the proposals sent by the CEB are almost always approved. This is a mistake by the PUCSL, which is supposed to act in the public’s interest,” he said.

He further alleged that the approval of tariff revisions was influenced by political pressure and external parties such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), adding that the process favoured the CEB and burdened the public. “The Ministry of Energy also has a responsibility here. The PUCSL failed to listen to the warnings of its own staff. If they had considered the calculations made by the relevant experts, instead of deciding on the tariff hike solely on the CEB's projections, this could have been avoided.”

The comments come after the PUCSL stated that the profit recorded by the CEB should be deducted from expenses and reflected in the next tariff revision. The PUCSL’s Director of Communication Jayanat Herat told The Daily Morning early this week that electricity pricing must remain cost-based, with no room for profit or loss.

The CEB’s financial performance has been closely tied to changes in electricity tariffs. After the present Government assumed office, tariffs were reduced by about 20% in January of this year. The IMF has repeatedly urged Sri Lanka to restore cost-reflective electricity pricing as a condition for securing the respective tranches of its Extended Fund Facility. The June tariff hike was reportedly made in line with that requirement.