Sri Lanka is expected to lose approximately 250 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity generation over the April-to-June quarter due to the use of inferior-quality coal at the Lakvijaya power plant, an opposition parliamentarian alleged on Saturday.
The figure puts a concrete energy cost on the ongoing coal quality crisis that has already been the subject of a parliamentary no-confidence motion, a presidential commission of inquiry, and a CID investigation into Lanka Coal Company.
A previous audit had pegged the financial losses from low-quality coal imports at Rs. 2.24 billion. The 250 GWh generation shortfall now quantifies the crisis in energy terms — roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of over 100,000 households for a quarter.
The Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) has already ruled that coal-crisis-related costs cannot be passed on to consumers through electricity tariff revisions, meaning Ceylon Electricity Board must absorb the losses.
The revelation comes as Sri Lanka grapples with a broader energy crisis driven by the Middle East conflict’s impact on fuel supply chains and declining hydropower reservoir levels.
The coal quality controversy was a central issue in the April 10 no-confidence motion against Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody, which the government survived with a 153-49 vote.
