The Hon. Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Opposition Leader, Hon. Sajith Premadasa, presented several falsehoods relying on the PUCSL Report. First, that Report to the SOC was based on results from the Lakvijaya plant laboratory, which is not an accredited lab. Internationally, LCC relies on accredited lab reports. Therefore, calculations of loss/profit based on the Lakvijaya lab are fundamentally flawed. This was explained and accepted at SOC.

¶ 02 Second, on ash: he tried to depict massive airborne emissions. The ESPs absorb ash; some ash is sold. The Lakvijaya engineers explained to SOC that the ash-content methodology used in the PUCSL assessment was flawed; PUCSL officers accepted that.

¶ 03 Third, he compared coal quality to petrol/diesel in internal combustion engines and claimed turbines would be damaged. Lakvijaya is an external combustion system: coal heats boilers; steam drives turbines. This is not a petrol/diesel ICE. We explained this; perhaps he missed those classes.

¶ 04 How did this debate arise? The Auditor-General’s Special Report before COPE was requested by the Chairman of COPE—an MP from the governing side—precisely to surface any issues so we could fix them. The Opposition did not discover this; Government sought transparency to correct any deficiencies.

¶ 05 At COPE yesterday, when we went through technical issues one by one, most Opposition Members left midway. Only two remained—Hon. Sujeewa Senasinghe and Hon. D.V. Chanaka—while we addressed point after point with officials and engineers.

¶ 06 A brief history: From 2008–2016, under repeated tenders, the lowest bidders were often bypassed, and Noble Resources (Pvt.) Ltd. was repeatedly awarded via Cabinet decisions—rendering the tendering process meaningless. In 2014, LCC confirmed four vessels failed discharge-port checks and penalties were imposed: USD 35,937; 34,505; 137,000; and 158,000, respectively. Those substandard consignments were still used in the plant—nothing catastrophic happened to the plant. Coal is a natural resource; GCV varies across seams and shipments. Historically, lower-GCV consignments have been blended and used.

¶ 07 In the present tender, after a transparent process and lowest pricing, a cartel that had enjoyed a de facto monopoly for years felt threatened. I allege this cartel, together with a few within the plant and company, worked to derail the award. The first Trident Chemphar vessel was not placed into the coal yard; instead, Russian coal was directly fed to the plant—rushing to declare failure. This is the playbook of those wanting the old chain to continue.

¶ 08 We accept that on-time data show lower GCV in some consignments. But there is a clear penalty framework. We have imposed the highest-ever penalties, including for delays—penalties never levied from 2009 to 2025. Friends don’t fine friends; we have fined in lakhs of dollars. Our political movement was built on people’s suffering; we will not betray that trust. This is a technical issue with scientific remedies, not a grand corruption scheme. We will resolve it A to Z and table COPE’s Report shortly. We invite all to debate it publicly.

¶ 09 Thank you.