Electricity tariff increase: Revised rates announced

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has announced revised electricity charges coming into effect today (Oct. 20).

A request made by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to increase electricity tariffs again was green-lighted by the PUCSL in a bid to raise the state-run utility’s revenue.

Revised fixed charges, which will be in place until June 30, 2024, are as follows:

Domestic category
0-30 kWh – increased from Rs. 150 to Rs. 180
31-60 kWh – increased from Rs. 300 to Rs. 360
61-90 kWh – increased from Rs. 400 to Rs. 480
91-120 kWh – increased from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,180
121-180 kWh – increased from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 1,770
181 kWh and above – increased from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 2,360

Religious and charitable institutions category
0-30 kWh – increased from Rs. 150 to Rs. 180
31-90 kWh – increased from Rs. 250 to Rs. 300
91-120 kWh – increased from Rs. 600 to Rs. 710
121-180 kWh – increased from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 1,770
181 kWh and above – increased from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 2,360

Additionally, the PUCSL has urged the CEB to comply with the conditions, which were set for the tariff approvals granted on February 14 and June 30 this year but have not yet been fulfilled.

Last month, the CEB made a request from the PUCSL to increase electricity tariffs once again, citing the need to cover the costs for thermal power generation during the months when arid weather conditions were prevalent across the country.

Accordingly, the CEB had sought an electricity tariff hike in October, which was supposed to be made in January. CEB General Manager Eng. Dr. Narendra De Silva had said the state-owned utility had to bear additional costs for power generation as it was unable to generate an adequate amount of hydropower this year.

The CEB chief had said 4,500 gigawatt hours (GWh) of hydropower was expected to be produced, but only 3,750 GWh of hydropower had been produced. Thereby, an additional 750 GWh of electricity had to be produced from thermal power plants, adding that additional costs had to be borne by the CEB as a result.

On October 18, the PUCSL held a consultation on the proposed electricity tariff revision at the BMICH premises to gather inputs of a total of 30 parties including the members of the public and the CEB officials, before deciding on green-lighting the request to increase electricity tariffs.

Electricity Tariff Revision October 2023 CEB by Adaderana Online on Scribd