Low-quality coal causes power cuts: Ex-LECO Chief
By Shamindra Ferdinando The use of low quality coal, over a period of time, had led to the developing crisis at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant (LVPP) at Norochcholai that compelled the boastful NPP government to implement power cuts, former Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Limited (LECO) Chairman Bandula Chandrasekera said yesterday. The government imposed one-hour […]
Former LECO Chairman Bandula Chandrasekera claimed that prolonged use of low-quality coal at Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant (LVPP) has caused a crisis that led to power cuts, including a one-hour nationwide outage on Oct. 19. Despite the government's claim that the power cuts would only last three days, Chandrasekera warned the situation could worsen. He cautioned that the government is misleading the public by denying low-quality coal is the cause of the crisis.
Chandrasekera highlighted that the expert committee's report revealed substantial losses due to substandard coal, potentially reaching Rs 20 bn. In December 2025, LVPP started using coal from a new supplier after the Auditor General challenged the previous supplier's selection in a special report to Parliament. Since then, the plant has received 19 shiploads of coal from this supplier.
A PUCSL investigation found that low-quality coal has negatively affected LVPP. The Frontline Socialist Party exposed the corrupt deal in September 2025, but the JVP breakaway faction in Parliament ignored the disclosure. Chandrasekera emphasized the need to hold accountable those who used South African coal supplied by the Indian company and punish them.
He also pointed out that the government's reliance on hydropower from Victoria power station may not be sufficient to meet power requirements. The ex-leader stressed the importance of investigating why authority failed to implement the backup plan, as Victoria could have prevented last Saturday's power failure from 11:43 am to 11 pm.
Chandrasekera criticized the government's decision to disconnect solar power over the weekend, stating that the absence of solar generation exacerbated the problem. He warned that the latest power outage exposed the government's strategy of blaming the Opposition. He hoped the Presidential Commission investigating coal scams would examine the situation at LVPP due to substandard coal use, estimating the loss from the recent outage at around Rs 16 bn.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
