The electricity board has estimated that the cost of a unit of electricity to provide an uninterrupted electricity supply for the year 2023 is 56.90 rupees, according to Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera.
However, he says that the current average tariff is 29.14 rupees, and thus the annual loss of the electricity board is estimated to be 423.5 billion rupees.
For this, the minister suggests that 56.70 rupees per unit should be charged from each tier. The Minister points out that a direct cash allowance should be given to low-income families from the Treasury to cushion the effect of high tariffs.
According to the electricity board’s billing data, the minister points out that there are 6,709,574 domestic customers and has categorized the users as follows:
There are 1,460,828 customers in the 0–30 unit segment, and the charge per unit is Rs. 8.00.
There are 1,683,172 customers in the 30–60 unit segment, and the charge levied per unit is Rs. 10.
There are 1,702,515 customers in the 60–90 unit group, and the charge per unit is Rs. 16.
There are 1,559,131 customers in the segment of 90–180 units, and the charge per unit is Rs. 50.
There are 303,928 people who consume more than 180 units, and the charge per unit is computed at 75 rupees.
The minister says that the lower strata will be heavily subsidized, and the upper strata will pay for a portion of the subsidy. He points out that the remaining shortfall in the subsidy will be borne by the Treasury.
“In my opinion, each tier should be charged 56.90 rupees per unit.” “There should be a direct cash allowance to cushion the effect on low-income families,” the minister said.
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