COLOMBO (NewsRadio); Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera says the government has not proposed to recover past losses of the Ceylon Electricity Board from a tariff revision as claimed by the Public Utilities Commission Of Sri Lanka.
Minister Kanchana Wijesekera while rejecting the claims by the PUCSL said the proposal that was presented was for an automatic cost reflective tariff mechanism to be implemented to supply uninterrupted power.
The Minister said the proposed revision is only aimed at recovering the current cost of power supply.
Meanwhile, earlier today, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said the electricity tariff should be increased to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity.
Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said according to estimates of the Ceylon Electricity Board, in order to ensure uninterrupted power supply in 2023, the CEB will be required to spend Rs 56.90 per unit.
The Minister added based on the current rates, Rs.29.14 is being charged per unit on average.
He said it results in an estimated deficit of Rs 423.5 billion.
The Power Minister said according to billing data, 6,709,574 persons have been registered as CEB consumers.
He said among them, 1,460,828 consumers use between zero and 30 units a month and pay only Rs.8 per unit.
Furthermore, 1,683,172 consumers use between 30 and 60 units a month and at present they pay only Rs.10 per unit.
The CEB has 1,702,515 consumers who use between 60 and 90 units a month and they pay only Rs.16 per unit.
Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera noted that on average 1,559,131 consumers use between 90 and180 units a month and they pay Rs50 per unit.
The CEB also has around 303,928 consumers who use more than 180 units for which they pay Rs.75 per unit.
The Minister said therefore those in the lower categories are heavily subsidized while those in the top layer pay above average prices for electricity.
Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said the remaining funds to pay for the subsidized electricity supply are borne by the Treasury.
He said therefore in his personal opinion, every electricity customer should pay Rs 56.90 per unit while a direct cash allowance should be given to low income families.
