By Ifham Nizam
Electricity tariffs could be reduced without restructuring the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the CEB Engineers Union said yesterday.Responding to queries on Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera’s statement that it will be possible to reduce the electricity bills by December, CEBEU Vice President Dhanushka Parakaramasighe said that if the generation cost was managed, power tariff could be reduced.
He said that 400MW of electricity was generated daily by using costly diesel to maintain a 24- hour power supply. It is not the right type of strategy, he said.
Parakaramasighe said they were not opposed to the restructuring of state owned institutions to improve efficiency, but it was absurd to think that private companies would sell electricity at a cheaper price.
Joint Trade Union Alliance of the Ceylon Electricity Board (JTUACEB) Convenor Ranajan Jayalal told The Island that the Minister was just trying to reduce public outrage.
“The CEB now works according to the whims and fancies of International Monetary Fund (IMF),” he said, adding that nothing had been done to increase renewable energy.