CEB To Provide Power Supply Continuously: Electricity Tariff Increase In Effect From Today
Shakila Ifham
February 17, 2023
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will supply uninterrupted power supply with the implementation of the electricity tariff increase effective from today, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said adding that the tariff increase was also done to stick with the IMF policies.
He told journalists yesterday in Colombo that tariff hike would be a major step in sticking with the IMF policies and benefits that would be passed on to masses in near future.
He said that CEB has taken Rs. 120 billion from the Treasury last year. However, since January all such facilities were stopped and the Board has to generate monies to cover up the costs.
The Minister also said that Bank of Ceylon has agreed to release Rs. 22 billion to purchase coal and Peoples Bank has agreed to give Rs. 50 billion to settle debts to CPC –amounting Rs. 118 (As on February 16 by and to settle debts of renewable energy suppliers.
The existing monthly electricity tariff of Rs. 214 for consumers who consume up to 30 units of electricity per month has been increased by 251 percent to Rs. 753.
In that increase, the monthly fixed fee of the lowest electricity tariff tier for up to 30 electricity units including nearly 1.5 million customers has been made Rs. 400.
The electricity tariff of Rs. 677 between 31 and 60 units has been raised by 221 percent to Rs. 2,178 rupees and the fixed tariff has become Rs. 550.
Between 61 and 90 electricity units, which used to be Rs. 1,625, the electricity tariff has been increased to Rs. 3970, and the percentage of tariff increase is 144 percent.
There are 1550,000 consumers between 31 and 60 electricity units and 1.4 million consumers between 61 and 90 electricity units.
By raising the electricity tariff of Rs. 3,358 rupees for consumers between 91 and 120 electricity units by 86 percent, the tariff has become Rs. 6,238.
The electricity tariff for the category between 121 and 180 electricity units, which was Rs. 5,467, has been increased to Rs. 8,347, and the percentage of tariff increase is 53 percent.
The electricity tariff of customers with more than 180 electricity units has been increased by only 18 percent and the tariff of that category which was Rs. 15,460 rupees has become Rs. 18,300 .
Wijesekera also said that on the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe low-electricity users will be provided relief after a scheme is worked out with the Finance Ministry in the next few months.
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