Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody told Parliament yesterday that the coal procurement process was conducted strictly in line with the 2023 tender procedure specifications, following recommendations outlined in the 2022/23 audit report. He denied allegations of any intentional irregularities in the process.
Ten bidders submitted proposals for the LCC/25/TT/1 term tender to supply 1.5 million metric tonnes of coal for the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Power Plant, covering the period from December 2025 to May 2026. The tender has drawn significant attention, marking one of the highest levels of participation in recent years, with 26 suppliers involved in the pre-qualification and registration phase.
The Minister noted that the supplier contracted for the 2024/2025 season failed to complete the required coal shipments within the expected timeframe, raising concerns over fuel availability. Although shipments were initially expected to be completed by April, they were finalized only by December last year.
He said the Lanka Coal Company (LCC) has since initiated a fresh procurement process through a long-term tender to supply 1.5 million ±10 percent metric tonnes of coal for the period from December 2025 to April 2026. The first shipment under the new tender arrived late last December.
Minister Jayakody emphasized that there has been no delay in the arrival of subsequent shipments. Nine vessels have already arrived in the country, the tenth is en route, and coal is currently being loaded onto the twelfth vessel.
He further stated that under the new shipments, no physical damage has been reported to the infrastructure of the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Power Plant.