PUCSL revises electricity tariff for religious places

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) announced electricity tariff concessions will be provided for religious establishments.

“All religious places that use over 180 units of electricity will be brought under the ‘general purpose’ category,” PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said.

The move was after heavy criticism by religious leaders after President Ranil Wickremesinghe intervened.

As per the new categorisation, the tariff revision for religious places will be Rs. 32 per unit. The original electricity tariff was Rs. 65 per unit for religious places that utilise over 180 units.



He said the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Lanka Electricity Co. Ltd. (LECO) have been informed about the new tariff revision. “This will slash the electricity bill of religious places that use 180 units of electricity by more than half,” he added.

Ratnayake said steps have also been taken to restore the system for charitable institutions whose tariffs increased by 500%.

He stated that Sri Lanka currently has around 48,000 religious and charitable institutions at present.

PUCSL Chief also called on charitable institutions must also work towards using electricity sparingly.