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| Sunday, 13 January 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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No power tariff rise to recover CEB deficit by ANTON NONIS The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is making a bold bid to recover a deficit of Rs.16 billion which had been outstanding for the past few years. Whatever the quantum of the deficit, the CEB management has not made any move yet to recover it from the consumer by resorting to any increase in tariffs in the coming months as reported in certain print media. Already, the CEB had imposed a surcharge of 25 per cent on the current electricity effective from March, 2001, with the aim of gradually recovering the deficit through a period of time. As a result, it is rediculous to talk about another tariff increase which is bound to aggravate the burden of the power consumer. However, with some sort of assistance either as a government subsidy or from the private sector, this could be overcome. The CEB incurs Rs.1.30 per unit of power produced and it would increase further with the commissioning of additional thermal plants to generate more power. Most of the hydro-electric reservoirs are now below spill with a power generation capacity of 28 per cent. As such, the CEB has no other option but to go in for thermal plants. Forecast for sufficient rain in the catchment areas with the advent of the North-East monsoon, has failed so far and the dry conditions prevalent may last for another two months with scanty rain in between. However, the South-West monsoon begining in the third week of May, is likely to yield rain to augument the water levels in the hydro reservoirs. |
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