The Hon. Ruwan Wijeweera

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today we debate coal procurement for Norochcholai and generation therefrom. The motion relies on incorrect and unclear information to allege the procurement is wrong. The Minister has already clarified matters.

¶ 02 This tender had the highest recent participation: 26 registered, 11 took part, 10 submitted bids. Pre-qualification concerns are unfounded. Requirements included more than three years’ experience, supply of at least 0.5 million tonnes within that period, and financial capacity of USD 150 million. All were assessed, including legal standing.

¶ 03 On the 21-day window: with National Procurement Commission approval, 21 days were set; upon suppliers’ request, an additional seven days were granted (total 28), plus a 14-day appeal period. No appeals were lodged. Financial strength, experience, and quality were evaluated. Bid Opening Committee, Bid Evaluation Committee, and Procurement Committee acted within the legal framework.

¶ 04 It is false that the Auditor-General’s Report was ignored. End-2022 recommendations were implemented in 2023, including easing certain conditions to enhance competition per the AG (e.g., reducing the prior 1 million tonne in three years threshold). The GCV minimum of 5,900 remained. Coal is a natural resource; thus quality ranges are specified. If GCV is between 5,900 and 6,150 it is acceptable; below 5,900, enhanced penalties apply. For the first shipment, USD 2.1 million was fined.

¶ 05 Load Port and Discharge Port Reports both matter. Load Port Reports for all vessels showed no issue per international rules. Lakvijaya’s lab is not an accredited acceptance lab; hence results are confirmed through an accredited Indian lab. The first vessel failed there and was penalized accordingly. Points advanced by the Opposition relying on Lakvijaya’s non-accredited reports are thus misplaced.

¶ 06 More broadly, this Government fights corruption. Sri Lanka improved from 121 to 107 in the 2024 CPI. Verité’s Mood of the Nation indicates public acceptance of anti-corruption efforts. IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva noted Sri Lanka was the first Asian country whose Government requested an IMF governance assessment and commended the Government’s trust-building and people-centric focus.