The Hon. D.V. Chanaka

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees.

¶ 02 First, I wish everyone a Happy New Year. I note with irony that those who once claimed Port City would “break Sigiriya,” called its concessions “benefits for cronies,” and labeled it a “Chinese colony requiring passports,” now praise its virtues and even call to extend concessions by three more years.

¶ 03 Regrettably, I must expose a Rs. 10 billion coal procurement scandal. Normally, Sri Lanka imports coal for eight months (outside May–August maintenance). Tenders should be called in April and awarded by August for September deliveries. This time, the April tender was delayed until September; pre-qualification was altered to suit two unqualified firms, and the tender period was cut from the minimum 42 days to 21, then barely extended despite supplier protests. Even after closing in September, award was delayed until November while the chosen supplier scrambled to produce a performance bond and source coal.

¶ 04 Two vessels have now arrived. Lakvijaya Power Plant lab tests showed calorific values around 5,600–5,800 kcal/kg, below the 5,900 kcal/kg benchmark that should trigger rejection. The Minister dismissed the plant lab’s accreditation, yet boiler trials show 300 MW now needs 120 tons/hour versus the usual 107—an extra 13 tons/hour. With three boilers, that’s 39 tons/hour, roughly 936 tons/day, translating to about six extra ships per year—around Rs. 10 billion in excess cost. Further, South African cargoes should be tested at the SGS lab inside the RBCT terminal, but the supplier presented a lab report purportedly from Indonesia for a ship loaded in South Africa. Meanwhile, CEB’s own lab results and higher coal burn are ignored, and officials who flagged the issue are being scapegoated.

¶ 05 This is the first week of the year and already a Rs. 10 billion fraud. The Government is mired in corruption from coal to essential commodities.

¶ 06 Thank you.