News

Coal scam has become litmus test for NPP: FSP

Published

4 weeks ago

2026/02/7

The scam involving the import of substandard coal has become the litmus test for the NPP Government, says the Frontline Socialist Party.The substandard coal scam has become the litmus test for the NPP government’s integrity and transparency, Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda said on Thursday, alleging serious irregularities and contradictions in the government’s handling of coal procurement for the Lakvijaya Power Plant.

Addressing the media in Colombo, Jayagoda strongly rejected recent statements made by Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the JVP, during an interview with a state television channel on the ongoing coal tender controversy. He said several of Silva’s claims were factually incorrect and echoed earlier statements made by the Minister of Power and Energy that had already been abandoned after being proven false.

“There are serious inaccuracies in the views expressed by Tilvin Silva. Some of these false points were first raised by the Power Minister a week or two ago, but he stopped repeating them once we produced documentary evidence,” Jayagoda said, adding that the JVP General Secretary appeared to be “not up to date with the facts.”

Jayagoda rejected claims that coal had previously been purchased without calling for tenders from a politician’s company at inflated prices. He said that since the Lakvijaya Power Plant commenced operations in 2008, tenders had been called annually and contracts awarded to the lowest bidder.

He also dismissed assertions that no tenders were called in 2023. “The Power Minister initially made this claim, too, but stopped after we presented the tender advertisements,” Jayagoda said. He questioned contradictory statements made by government representatives, pointing out that while Silva claimed no tender was called in 2023, references to 2023 tender specifications had been publicly cited by Deputy Minister Kumara Jayakody.

“If no tender was called in 2023, how were tender specifications published that year?” Jayagoda asked, describing the claims as mutually contradictory.

According to Jayagoda, tenders were, indeed, called in 2023 and the contract was awarded to Coral Energy. When that company failed to supply coal on time, the supply responsibility was transferred to Black Sand. He further rejected claims that no tenders were called in 2024, explaining that during the bidding process a company named Potentia had offered a lower price than the initial lowest bidder.

“Based on approvals from the Technical Evaluation Committee, the Procurement Committee, the Cabinet, and finally the Attorney General, coal was purchased from the lowest bidder,” he said, adding that any doubts regarding the legality of the process could be investigated through proper legal channels.

However, Jayagoda stressed that the controversy was not merely about whether tenders were called, but about how the process was manipulated. He listed several concerns raised by the FSP from the outset, including a four-month delay in calling for tenders, changes to tender specifications, and the tender period being reduced by half.

“Urgency was cited as the justification for these changes, yet there was a six-week delay in awarding the tender. That clearly shows there was no real urgency,” he said.

Jayagoda also alleged that laboratory reports were concealed when substandard coal shipments were imported, in order to protect the supplying company. He said that despite a contractual clause requiring the tender to be cancelled if two shipments failed quality standards, the government continued with the order. He further accused the authorities of violating the agreement by approving emergency purchases in a way that benefited the supplier.

“The entire process is suspicious,” Jayagoda said. “A Minister will not resign unless they admit to fraud. But it is the responsibility of the President and the government to conduct an independent investigation, determine whether fraud has occurred, and remove the Minister if wrongdoing is established.”

He concluded by reiterating that the coal tender controversy would serve as a decisive test of the government’s commitment to accountability. “This is the litmus test for the integrity and transparency of the government,” Jayagoda said.

All News Advertisement

News

Maldives Coast Guard Ship Huravee departs island

Published

12 hours ago

2026/03/6

Priyan

The Maldives Coast Guard Ship Huravee which arrived in Sri Lanka for replenishment purposes, departed the island on 04 Mar 26.

In accordance with naval tradition, the Sri Lanka Navy extended a customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo

News

‘IRIS Dena was Indian Navy guest, hit without warning’, Iran warns US of bitter regret

Published

24 hours ago

2026/03/6

Thilina Walpola

A day after a US submarine sunk an Iranian Navy warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Sayed Abbas Araghchi, has warned that the US would “pay bitterly” for targeting a ship in international waters, The Tribune has reported.

Araghchi posted on social media platform X on Thursday saying, “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores.”

The frigate IRIS Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning, said the Iran Foreign Minister, adding, “Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”

US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, on Wednesday confirmed that a US submarine fired a torpedo and sank the Iranian Navy vessel IRIS Dena west of Sri Lanka.

In a way, the Iran and US-Israel conflict has reached close to the Indian coast. The strike today at sea was almost 4,000 kms away from Iran, significantly expanding the radius of war. Already, fearing Iranian missile strikes, several US warships have moved eastward towards India.

These ships are in international waters. India has denied that any US Navy assets were using Indian ports. The Iranian ship, hit on Wednesday, was returning after participating in the international fleet review and exercise Milan hosted by India at Visakhapatnam.

The Iranian ship went down with almost 130 sailors on board missing. The Sri Lankan Navy, acting on a distress call, rescued 32 of the Iranian sailors. Hegseth confirmed the act by the US forces, saying the ship was hit in the Indian Ocean, stating, “an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. .. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo”.

Hegseth did not name the Iranian ship that was attacked. But earlier, the Sri Lankan Navy reported the distress call from IRIS Dena when it was some 40 kms west of Galle, located on the south-western part of the island country. On February 16, the Iranian ship had sailed into the port of Visakhapatnam, where seventy-four nations participated.

Warships from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and dozens of others were anchored alongside the now-sunk Iranian vessel. Iran’s Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, held talks with India’s Chief of Naval Staff on strengthening maritime security cooperation.

The theme was “United through Oceans.” Notably, the US Navy was supposed to send the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney to the exercise Milan; however, the ship was diverted to Singapore on February 15. The US did not field its warship in Milan, which had ships from Russia and Iran.

The exercise ended on February 25. Three days later, on February 28, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury. The IRIS Dena was transiting home. This morning at 5:08 a.m. local time, the IRIS Dena issued a distress call. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, informed parliament that two navy vessels and an aircraft were deployed. Thirty crew members were rescued and admitted to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle.

The Straits Times reported 32 critically wounded survivors. Reuters reported 101 missing and 78 wounded. The Sri Lankan Navy spokesman said the operation was conducted in line with the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.

News

Risk of power cuts due to use of low-quality coal,PUCSL warns

Published

24 hours ago

2026/03/6

Thilina Walpola

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has warned of a possible risk of power cuts due to the use of inferior quality coal affecting generation capacity at the Lakvijaya Power Plant, according to a recent commission report.

The commission said the risk to the continuous electricity supply was assessed based on the peak demand forecast submitted by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for 2026.

According to the report, the analysis assumed that hydropower plants could contribute up to 1,300 MW to meet the night peak demand, while the Lakvijaya Power Plant (LVPS) would be able to contribute only up to 690 MW due to a capacity shortfall, assuming a 40 MW generation capacity reduction from each unit.

The PUCSL said the assessment was carried out taking into account the planned maintenance schedule submitted by the CEB. Under the schedule, Unit 1 of the Lakvijaya plant is due to undergo maintenance checks and repairs in June for a period of 25 days, while Unit 2 is scheduled for maintenance in July for another 25 days.

The report also noted that the 270 MW West Coast Power Plant is scheduled to undergo maintenance in April for 10 days, while the 150 MW Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Plant (KCCP 2) is expected to undergo maintenance during May, June and July.

Under normal conditions, the report said, there is a potential risk of a generation capacity shortage if electricity demand reaches 3,030 MW in April, 3,070 MW in June and 3,000 MW in July.

The highest recorded night peak demand so far in 2026 was 2,949 MW on February 25.

The PUCSL further warned that if one coal unit or any major power plant becomes unavailable from the existing generation mix, there would be a significant risk of a generation capacity shortage to meet the night peak demand, particularly during April, June and July.

Energy sector analysts said the use of substandard coal could further aggravate operational challenges at the Norochcholai plant, potentially affecting generation efficiency and reliability if corrective measures are not taken promptly.

By Ifham Nizam