Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka of shifting losses from the coal procurement scandal onto electricity consumers, saying the regulator was failing the consumer-protection mandate it was created to uphold.
Speaking to reporters, the SJB leader said the PUCSL had ignored representations from the SJB on behalf of local industries when assessing the National System Operator’s tariff request. He said the regulator had authorised the latest 18% tariff increase at the NSO’s request on behalf of the NPP government, the third tariff hike since January.
The PUCSL was established under the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act No. 35 of 2002 and is intended to function as a multi-sector regulator covering electricity, water and petroleum. Successive governments, however, have refrained from bringing water and petroleum services under its purview, leaving electricity as its primary regulated sector.
Premadasa accused the commission of “doing the bidding of the government.” The latest revision came into effect on 11 May. The opposition leader said the regulator was mandated to protect both the service provider and the consumers but was now passing through the price impact of the coal scandal rather than insisting on accountability from the supplier.
His critique adds opposition political weight to the ongoing Presidential Coal Commission inquiry, which has summoned Auditor General officials and the Energy Secretary to testify, and follows the resignation of Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody.
