The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will supply power for Sinhala-Tamil New Year celebrations and related festivities across the country on a paid connection basis between April 15 and 19, the government announced on Monday.
Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed the arrangement at a media briefing, saying organisers of festivals, musical shows and Avurudu events must apply directly to the CEB and pay for additional supply. The utility will facilitate connections “to support cultural festivities while promoting responsible energy consumption.”
“Electricity is essential for these celebrations, but it should be used sparingly during the season,” Herath said.
The decision comes as Sri Lanka navigates an acute energy crisis triggered by Middle East supply disruptions and a coal procurement scandal at the Lakvijaya power plant. The government has restricted the use of public electricity for non-essential purposes and recently suspended Wednesday public holidays for schools and government offices to ease consumption pressure.
Specific tariff rates and application procedures were not disclosed in the announcement. Event organisers are expected to contact CEB regional offices directly to arrange supply for the five-day Avurudu period, which falls on April 13-14 this year with celebrations extending through the following weekend.
The paid-basis arrangement is a notable departure from previous years when temporary festival power connections were typically waived or subsidised. It signals the CEB’s intent to recover full costs as the utility absorbs higher generation expenses during the ongoing thermal-fuel crunch.
Domestic electricity tariffs were raised in early April, with low-consumption households partially insulated by a Rs. 15 billion subsidy announced in President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s three-month relief package on April 7.
