Row over power plan: CEB union to strike

The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union ( CEBEU) has decided to take trade union action over inaction by the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energ y to obtain approval for the CEB’s Long Term Power Generation Plan.

The key controversy revolves around the action taken in July by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka ( PUCSL), the country’s Power sector regulator, to approve a Generation Plan, officially known as Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plan (LCLTGEP) 2018-2037, without coal power plants, in favour of one containing Liquefied Natural Gas ( LNG) and renewable energy plants.

The CEBEU and the CEB both subsequently claimed that the plan approved by the PUCSL was not the one submitted by the CEB, and that the regulator had overstepped its mandate by ‘manipulating’ the plan recommended by the CEB. The PUCSL vehemently rejects this charge, stating that the CEB submitted several scenarios along with the ‘Base Case’ plan it recommended, but that the PUCSL’s analysis found that, the plan didn’t include Coal Power plants which were cheaper.

The CEBEU, however, claims the plan approved by the PUCSL is actually far costlier and that it will result in higher Power generation costs, due to its reliance on LNG. It claims the action will purposely create a crisis resulting in the Govt having to bring down costly diesel plants to avoid a Power crisis.

In a letter to the Minister of Power and Renewable Energy Ranjith Siyambalapitiya this week, the Union states that it will initiate trade union action from September 7, if the Ministry fails to heed its demands to get approval for the plan initially recommended by the CEB. Accordingly, the Union will withdraw its members f rom t he Te c h n i c a l Evaluation Committee ( TEC) and other related committees pertaining to Power plant requirement, except those related to emergency Power plants required to avert the impending Power crisis during the 2018-2020 period.

However, if no favourable action is taken within two more weeks, by September 21, the CEBEU has warned that all its members will be withdrawn from all TECs pertaining to Power plant procurement, including emergency Power plants.

The Union also states that it reserves the right to initiate more serious trade union action, if no tangible solutions are provided to its demands.