By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding the cabinet appointed senior Lead advisor’s assignment as the Head of Power Sector Reform Secretariat, to provide Strategies to coordinate activities pertaining to the implementation of the reform process of the Power Sector.
This Senior Lead advisor’s assignment is funded by JICA, as a grant in JICA’s technical cooperation.
In March 2023, the IMF Extended Fund Facility program (IMF program) was approved, and reform of state-owned enterprises, including the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), is one of the top prioritized issues in the IMF program.
Sri Lanka’s Power Sector Reforms Secretariat (PSRS) is now functioning at the power and energy ministry to kick start Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) restructuring process next month.
All CEB institutions will be unbundled instead of running all the related entities under one institution in accordance with these structural reforms.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank (WB), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were the other international agencies stepped into support the CEB restructuring process.
Dr. Pradeep Perera an electrical engineer by profession and a former Energy Specialist at the ADB has already been appointed by JICA as its consultant to assist the PSRS. He is the head of the secretariat.
In this context, the government has embarked on power sector reform process to improve efficiency, consumer service, enhance migration to renewable energy and mobilization of private investments to the sector.
JICA as a long-term development partner and funding agency to the power sector is committed to supporting the power sector reforms in Sri Lanka, and this Technical Cooperation will finance the consulting services on the Power Sector Reforms by the Senior Lead advisor for the MOPE (Ministry of Power and Energy).
The said consulting service will not be financed out of the proceeds of the loan facility, and this will be compensated as one of JICA’s Technical Cooperation Projects (TCP) “Grant” where there is no cost to the Government or citizens of Sri Lanka.
The appointed Senior Lead advisor who is having more than 25 years’ experience in number of Asian countries as a senior expert in Asian Development Bank and the World Bank group is expected to play a leading role in the Power Sector Reforms.
These reforms included providing strategic direction to the reform process, coordinating the technical assistance from development agencies, and offering inputs pertaining to technical, energy policy and regulation issues and undertaking stakeholder consultations.
