Sri Lanka Electricity Amendment Bill passed in parliament

The Sri Lanka Electricity Amendment Bill No. 20 of 2009 was passed in the parliament today (June 09) without committee state amendments, by a majority of votes. Accordingly, the second reading was passed by a majority of 84 votes.

Accordingly, MP Harsha de Silva, on behalf of the Opposition, moved an amendment to Article 4, which the Power & Energy Minister rejected. Accordingly, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill was passed by a majority in Parliament. This Bill, introduced in Parliament on May 17, 2022 by the Power & Energy Minister, qualifies a person to apply for a generation license to generate electricity.

In addition, Regulations under the Petroleum Resources Act made by the Minister of Energy were approved by Parliament today. Accordingly, the minimum qualifications of a member appointed to the Board of Directors under the Petroleum Resources Act No. 21 of 2021 and the minimum qualifications and experience of the Director General of the Sri Lanka Petroleum Development Authority are stated in these orders.

However, the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) vehemently opposed what it called the “deceitful” amendments to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, alleging that it is an attempt by the government to entirely abolish the competitive bidding process in electricity procurement from private sector.