Former State Minister of Power and Energy D.V. Chanaka told the Special Presidential Commission investigating coal transactions on Thursday that the 2025/2026 long-term coal tender was held back until a particular supplier had completed its registration.
Bid documents were issued just one day before that supplier’s registration was finalised, Chanaka told the Commission, alleging the circumstances suggested a coordinated effort to allow the company to take part in the tender.
Laboratory reports and technical standards
Chanaka questioned the acceptance of laboratory reports submitted by a supplier while, according to his testimony, reports produced by the Lakvijaya Power Plant’s own laboratory were not accepted. Reliance on what he described as an unrecognised foreign laboratory report created a contradiction within the evaluation process, he said.
He also told the Commission that key technical requirements relating to coal unloading capacity had not been properly considered during procurement.
On quality standards, Chanaka alleged inconsistency: shipments with high ash content had not been rejected, he said, while consignments were turned away only when calorific values fell below the required threshold.
A chairman’s resignation
The Commission also heard claims about the resignation of former Lanka Coal Company Chairman A.H.C. Perera. According to Chanaka, Perera submitted his resignation in protest at the conduct of former Ministry of Energy Secretary Udayanga Hemapala. The resignation was not accepted immediately, Chanaka alleged, and was only accepted after certain concerns raised against the former secretary had been withdrawn and the relevant tender documentation finalised.
Chanaka further pointed to delays in obtaining National Procurement Commission approvals for the procurement committees handling coal imports, saying a delay of roughly five weeks significantly affected the overall tender timetable.
Turning to the 2022 economic crisis, he said technical shortcomings, breaches of tender conditions and the country’s severe financial difficulties at the time had made it hard for suppliers to operate on a stable footing, and raised concerns about the cancellation of emergency and long-term coal tenders in that period.
Hemapala resigned as Energy Ministry Secretary in April alongside Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody to allow an independent investigation. The Commission heard testimony a day earlier from Lanka Coal Chairman Jayantha Rathnayake on the leaked telephone recording that fuelled months of political controversy, and has been examining allegations of pressure to alter coal test reports.
Sources: NewsFirst.
