Minister requests CEB engineers to halt TU action

Minister of Power and Renewable Energy Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has assured that prompt action will be taken to resolve the issues raised by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Engineers. The Minister made the assurance after the CEB Engineers' Union launched a work-to-rule campaign from yesterday (8). 

The CEBEU's trade union action was launched over a protracted dispute between the CEB and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the power sector regulator, over the country's long term power generation plan. 

Both the CEB and the CEBEU charges that the regulator had illegally amended the generation plan submitted by the CEB to PUCSL for approval, a charge which the regulator denies. The plan recommended by the CEB however, includes several coal power plants while the one approved by PUCSL does not. The regulator maintains that it approved a scenario submitted by CEB in addition to its base case plan after its own analysis showed that the scenario that contains no coal power plants is cheaper. 

However, issuing a statement, Minister Siyambalapitiya stated that both the President and the National Economic Council (NEC) have been briefed on the situation and the mixed generation plan submitted by CEB will be submitted to today's Cabinet meeting for approval. 

As such, he appealed to the engineers to call off their TU action without inconveniencing over 6 million electricity consumers in the country. 

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