The Cabinet on the 7th approved the commencement of a new solar power project to be added to the CEB based on private sector investment.
T
It is a 100 MW solar power project to be launched in the Siyambalanduwa area. The project has been approved by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is expected to get involved only in transmission.
At present, the government is preparing to cancel the Public Utilities Commission through an illegal gazette notification and purchase electricity from an American ship called MS New Fortress Energy. It has now been revealed that this involvement of local and foreign companies in generating electricity in the country is a serious threat to the country’s energy independence. It is all the more serious as the government has arbitrarily abolished the Public Utilities Commission, which should have been abolished by an Act of Parliament and through a gazette notification.
Accordingly, the government is working to increase the participation of the private sector in the public sector authority of the Ceylon Electricity Board regarding electricity in the country. The Ministry of Power and Energy has been allocated only a minimum of Rs. 310 million for next year, which gives a huge opportunity to the private sector.
