10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake

New Democratic Front· National List· 22 February 2025 ·Procedural: Ministerial Statements: Elephant Deaths from Train Collisions and Power Outage

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Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised concerns about unresolved issues at the Ceylon Electricity Board, including a dispute between unions over renewable energy policy. He questioned whether opposition to renewables was benefiting the oil lobby, noting that renewable power was paid at Rs. 29 per unit compared with a stated production cost of Rs. 78 per unit. He warned that the CEB’s recent Rs. 185 billion profit could turn into a Rs. 40 billion loss within two months, potentially leading to increased electricity tariffs.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 Only part of the questions were answered, so I ask again. Today the CEB faces a serious issue: a dispute between two unions related to renewable energy versus opposition to it. This is not a small matter. I am trying to help as I know it is difficult; even former Minister Kanchana Wijesekera tried. After time, we see the two sides misleading. This is more serious to you than to me. Regarding renewables, the production cost per unit is Rs. 78, but renewables are paid Rs. 29 per unit. Are we, in stopping this, succumbing to the oil mafia? There was a Rs. 185 billion profit over six months; now it’s turning into a loss. In a meeting with the GM yesterday, it was revealed that in two months there would be a Rs. 40 billion loss. Then you will have to increase tariffs.

Provenance

Source
Hansard, Saturday, 22 February 2025 ·No. 1741001658041256 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 22 February 2025. No. 1741001658041256. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/24971