• Deadline given as 31 March

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has once again directed the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to enter into a fuel supply related agreement with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) before 31 March.

It was recently charged by the Electricity Consumers Association (ECA) that the CEB purchases fuel from the CPC at general retail prices, disregarding the PUCSL's instructions to negotiate concessional pricing by way of entering into an appropriate agreement.

Through a recent communication to the CEB, which was seen by The Daily Morning, the PUCSL has directed that the former enter into a fuel supply agreement before 31 March. It has also been informed that short message service text-based billing or electronic billing should be carried out only with the written consent of the consumer for the same.

The Daily Morning queried CEB Chairperson, Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya in writing as to whether there is any plan to enter into such an agreement any time soon, but, there was no response to the same.

On an earlier occasion, the ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika claimed that the CEB, which allegedly purchases 20%-40% of the country's total fuel consumption, continues to purchase fuel from the CPC at general retail prices — prices that include costs like the site rent, and electricity, and employee charges — despite receiving fuel directly via the pipelines. From 2023, he said that the PUCSL has repeatedly reminded the CEB to reach a concessional pricing agreement with the CPC, but, no such agreement has been reached yet.