Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has denied allegations that the government has suffered losses due to the import of substandard coal.
Pointing out that there is an established system for levying fines for substandard coal and that the process is already underway, he rejected the allegations made by Member of Parliament Patali Champika Ranawaka regarding the recently imported coal.
Former Minister Patali Ranawaka had alleged that the government has suffered losses greater than the compensation collected from the coal company and that 2.6 gigawatt hours of electricity are being lost daily due to this.
The Minister said that the first batch of coal imported recently (60,000 metric tons) had a kilocalorie content of 5520, so steps have been taken to impose a double fine, and the second batch had a kilocalorie content of 6017 and was accepted as it was within the relevant range, and samples of the third and fourth batches have been sent for testing and decisions will be taken based on their reports.
Pointing out that this is not a new situation, the Minister pointed out that large fines have been imposed for substandard coal in previous years as well.
The Minister explained the methodology followed in testing the quality of coal.
”Generally, the standard standard should be more than 6150 kilocalories. If the test report conducted at the port where the coal is loaded is less than that standard, that coal will not be accepted at all.
“During the inspections carried out after landing in Sri Lanka, if the standard is less than 5900 kilocalories, the fine will be doubled. If it is between 5900 and 6150 kilocalories, a single fine will be imposed. If it is more than 6150 kilocalories, it will be considered compliant with the standard and accepted,” the Minister said.