New electricity bill aimed at industry reforms presented to parliament
April 25, 2024 10:59 am
The ‘Sri Lanka Electricity Bill’, which incorporates the proposed reforms for the electricity sector, was presented to the parliament by Power & Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on Thursday (25).
It was published in the government gazette on 17 April.
The Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the National Electricity Advisory Council and make the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) the regulator for the electricity industry in terms of the proposed legislation.
Further, it seeks to provide legislative measures applicable to the incorporation of corporate entities, in which all activities connected to the generation, transmission, distribution, trade, supply and procurement of electricity are vested.
In addition, the Bill also provides for the repealing of the Ceylon Electricity Board Act, No.17 of 1969 and the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, No.20 of 2009.
Last week, Minister Wijesekera said that the amendments suggested by the industry stakeholders in January were also drafted in to the Bill.
The members of the public now have a period of two weeks to challenge the legality of the Bill before the Supreme Court.
