March 09, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s long-standing electricity authority has officially ceased to exist after the dissolution of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) came into force at midnight yesterday, marking a significant restructuring of the country’s power sector.
The move follows the repeal of the Ceylon Electricity Board Act No. 17 of 1969, which had governed the state utility for more than five decades. With the legislation now revoked, the CEB has been formally removed as a legal corporate body.
From today (09), the duties previously handled by the Board—including power generation, transmission, distribution and overall system management—have been reassigned to six newly established companies. The transition was authorised through an extraordinary gazette issued recently by the Minister of Energy as part of a broader reform programme aimed at modernising the electricity sector.
According to the new framework, all operational functions once managed centrally by the CEB will now be carried out by the successor entities, each tasked with a specific role within the national electricity network.
The newly formed companies are:
Lanka Electricity Generation Lanka (Private) Limited
National Transmission Network Service Provider (Private) Limited
National System Operator (Private) Limited
Electricity Distribution Lanka (Private) Limited
Employees Fund (Private) Limited
Energy Ventures Lanka (Private) Limited
Authorities have also confirmed leadership appointments for several of the new organisations. Engineer N. G. Saliya Panditharatne has been named General Manager of Lanka Electricity Generation Lanka (Private) Limited, while Engineer N. S. Wettasinghe will head the National Transmission Network Service Provider (Private) Limited. Engineer K. S. I. Kumara has been appointed General Manager of Electricity Distribution Lanka (Private) Limited.