The Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe - Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development

¶ 01 Mr. Deputy Speaker, it is worth asking what was done over the last decade by those now lamenting. The proposer of rooftop solar failed over years to establish battery storage to balance the grid, even while adding capacity. You cannot now say “we weren’t in power”; the CEB was operating under your policy direction then.

¶ 02 Our National People’s Power policy for building a production economy is to reduce the unit cost from USD cents 13 to around 8. The way to do that now is renewables—no dispute there. Solar and wind together must reach 70%. But on rooftop solar, we have taken no policy decision to discourage it. From Industry Ministry, we provide “E‑Friends” loans—about Rs. 1.5 billion annually—for industries to install rooftop solar. In the last three months, Rs. 103 million has been disbursed for nine rooftop projects. Simultaneously, we are advancing battery storage policies to address grid issues.

¶ 03 The Government’s policy is to continuously reduce the unit cost. Tariffs are derived from a formula—cost of capital, materials, duration, and volume determine the rate of return. If the CEB’s rate is wrong, anyone can challenge it even in court; no such challenge has succeeded. Our political vision is 2,000 MW from rooftop solar; if any monthly addition has fallen, show it. Meanwhile, we must protect industrial users; this is a long‑term strategy. Temporary issues today were created by past neglect; the Energy Ministry is working on solutions. With Indian assistance, solar panels are being provided to religious institutions through a transparent process, replacing politicized past practices.

¶ 04 This is a priority industry for the Industry Ministry. We must also localize manufacturing—panels, cables and inputs—to reduce costs. If there is unfairness, I will fight to ensure a fair rate of return. On “Net Plus Plus,” unlimited additions at a single premises can exhaust transformer capacity and block neighbours; policy must be fair system‑wide. Ground‑mounted solar is also progressing, with contracts awarded and additions expected during 2025. Under SPPA, 778 approvals have been issued though only four are operational yet; the broader renewable strategy remains intact. Our goal is to bring the unit cost to around 0.08 USD like Vietnam, India and Bangladesh.