Charges that Minister is promoting fossil fuel use

The Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA) alleged that the recent revision of tariff rates for new rooftop solar and renewable energy projects was made without consulting the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), and that has discouraged local entrepreneurs who invested in these projects.

A proposal presented by the Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera for the revision of the tariff rates paid for the said projects through the feeding tariff had been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers last week.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said that the tariff revision had been made without consulting the PUCSL. "The Minister should have consulted the PUCSL before revising these tariffs, but the PUCSL has confirmed that they were not consulted on this matter. This significantly affects the renewable energy sector; the political authorities should not be allowed to make such decisions at his will," he said.

He further mentioned that local entrepreneurs who have invested in rooftop solar and renewable energy projects have been discouraged by the tariff rate revision, adding that projects with a total capacity of nearly 70 megawatts (MW) are at risk of being disrupted. "This is a time when renewable power generation should be promoted for long-term energy security, but the Minister is instead promoting power plants based on imported fossil fuels, including diesel," he added.

Minister Wijesekera wasn't available for comment.

The revised tariff rates for rooftop solar development and the revised feeding tariff are applied to all new projects from 1 July. The revised rooftop tariff – 20 years flat rate is Rs. 27.06 up to 500 kilowatts (kW), and Rs. 23.18 for over 500 kW, while the revised feeding tariff – 20 years flat rate is Rs. 25.48 for solar, Rs. 30.53 for mini hydro, Rs. 29.86 for wind, and Rs. 52.77 for biomass.