CEB must lobby for foreign projects, says Power Minister | Sunday Observer

CEB must lobby for foreign projects, says Power Minister

23 June, 2019

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) launched a customer care app, CEB Care, an in-house built tool, to enhance productivity and efficiency in its service delivery, in Colombo last week.

“This is a world class app developed by our engineers and the CEB is transforming itself to become an improved service provider with more focus on a customer-friendly approach to elevate its service delivery standards. To this end we have taken many initiatives and this is the first of the measures to enhance customer friendly service,” Chairman, CEB, Rakitha Jayawardena said.

“The CEB needs to market its strategy and capacity. To this end, it is necessary to create awareness among the public The app will enable customers to reach the CEB fast and get issues solved conveniently. This is the first time that the CEB has embarked on customer care improvement. This in-house tool developed by a nine-member team lead by Jagath Samarawickrama has harnessed the knowledge and intelligence of the staff and will better serve customers in the long run,” he said.

The country is on a drive to harness non-renewable energy sources and is expecting a 500 percent increase in the use of these sources in the coming years. To this end, the CEB is set to retire power plants incurring high production costs within the next one-and-a-half years, Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake said.

Noting that one of the main reasons the CEB is making losses is the high production costs incurred in some plants, he said that the state-owned company should focus on least-cost generation methods.

“We have to disconnect all the plants that have a high cost of production within one-and-a-half years. The cost per unit at the Kelanitissa plant is Rs. 60 and at the Uthuru Janani (diesel power plant at Chunnakam) the cost is Rs. 74. We have to work towards a least cost generation system. When this is discussed, politicians are always blamed for not taking straightforward decisions, I accept that. But now you have to join the change,” the Minister said, adding that the CEB has the ability to meet the demands of external markets.

The Minister, who recently visited a subsidiary company of the CEB, Ante Leco Meters, which manufactures electricity meters for the Sri Lankan market, said the company has production capacity and standards to qualify for the export market.

He said that the CEB should aim at securing foreign projects within the next few months and that he will give the company three months to meet these expectations.

“Within the next two-three months the CEB has to push forward to get contracts outside the country. Go to the Maldives, Myanmar, Uganda or anywhere to lobby for projects. This is what we are trying to support. If we are told how much it will cost we will give the CEB the money. Set up a new subsidiary, CEB International Pvt. Ltd. and through that go abroad with the engineers and other workers. If the private sector can do it why not the CEB?,” the Minister queried.

“I am giving the company a challenge. In August I am coming to Ante Leco with the Prime Minister and perhaps the President to mark the dispatch of the first export order,” he said.

The Minister is confident the CEB can “transform this into the number one brand in Sri Lanka” if the company is able to cut losses. However, he attempted to justify the loss-making trend by the company as it is delivering an essential commodity to consumers.

“The loss incurred by the CEB is not really a loss, it should be viewed as a contribution to the country.

“Not everything can be measured in monetary terms, that is very important. When SriLankan Airlines incurs a loss of about Rs. 2,500 to 3,000 million, it is alright for the CEB to be making a loss even as twice as the airline as it supplies electricity to every household in the country,” he said.

However, he insisted that the company çannot continue this trend and called on the CEB employees to make changes, noting that they have to deliver keeping in mind the high salaries they are paid.

“When you earn 200% to 300% above market rates, then you have a responsibility to deliver in the same way, you have to change in the same way,” he said.

The Minister also advocated that the CEB should focus more on customer care and public relations.

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