New rules barring construction of buildings near power lines

Sri Lanka is introducing new regulations with regard to the minimum gap that should be kept between power lines and buildings to ensure the safety of consumers and the properties .

The regulations, approved by the Minister of Power and Renewable Energy on the recommendation of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUC), are described in 30,36 and 37 of the Electricity ( Safety, Quality and Continuity) Regulations No. of 2016 which require a minimum vertical and horizontal spacing on the construction of power lines and buildings, the PUC said in a media release on Monday.

The new regulation explains that the construction of a new building requires to obtain a safety clearance certificate from who owns or operates the overhead line ( Ceylon Electricity Board or Lanka Electricity Company ( Pvt) Ltd) through a written notice, explaining the intention to construct the building.

For a safety clearance certificate to be issued the building or structure should not be within the distance from such building or structure as per spaces prescribed in the regulation.

The Provincial Councils and the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils have already taken action to implement the regulation. Accordingly, the regulation will be strictly considered when granting the permits for development purposes. The Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils has asked all the provincial councils to consider this regulation when issuing the permits for the new buildings. Therefore, the application for the development permit will require the information of the space clearance between the power lines and a new construction in the future.