Age of cheap electricity ended, says Sri Lanka Minister of Power and Energy

Sri Lanka Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka says that the reason for the rise of the electricity bill of many of the citizens is the unnecessary piling up of household electrical equipment.

Talking about the recent hike of electricity tariff, the Minister pointed out that the electricity tariff had remained unchanged although the prices of many other items escalated sharply.

He further said that anyhow the tariff for the electricity consumers that use less than 120 units per month will remain unchanged.

Minister Champika Ranawaka stated that the age of cheap electricity ended in 1995. He pointed out that the full capacity of the hydropower can generate only half of the electricity usage of the country. Therefore, he stated that the Ceylon Electricity Board had to generate the rest of power burning petroleum or coal which is expensive.

The Minister announced that the Ceylon Electricity Board that was making losses repeatedly for 10 past years profited Rs. five billion in 2010.