The Auditor General’s report on coal imports was presented to Parliament on Tuesday (07).
Leader of the House Minister Bimal Ratnayake tabled the report at the commencement of proceedings.
At the same time, Opposition MPs lodged a complaint with Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne that the report had not been distributed to Members of Parliament. The Speaker responded that it was the Secretariat’s responsibility to provide the report to MPs.
The special audit report, requested by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), examines the coal purchasing process by Lanka Coal Company for the Lakvijaya Power Plant and procurement for the 2025/2026 season. The Auditor General revealed that the laboratory issuing reports at the loading port for the controversial supplier Trident Company had its license cancelled.
The report further disclosed that at the time advertisements were published calling for tenders, Trident Company had not completed its registration, yet it was awarded the tender. Three other suppliers who had not confirmed registration were also allowed to submit bids.
Coal purchased for the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant is tested at both loading and unloading ports. At the loading port, Mitra SK South Africa was appointed, but lacking accreditation, the task was handed to PT Mitra SK Analisa Testama Samarinda, an Indonesian company whose license had been cancelled as of December 29, 2025. The audit did not confirm whether the license was renewed by March 31, 2026. All 12 shipment reports issued at the loading port were found to lack accreditation.
The report also noted discrepancies between loading port reports and data from the plant’s main control unit, with Lanka Coal Company failing to use available alternatives to verify the reports. It highlighted that between November 13 and December 30, 2025, no coal shipments were brought to Sri Lanka despite the need for maximum procurement during that period.
Due to insufficient shipments, an emergency procurement was made on March 18 this year, selecting Taranjot Resource Pvt Ltd. The Auditor General revealed that this company had failed within the past 36 months to supply coal with the required calorific value of 5,900 kcal or above to the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant.
The report warns that failure to import coal on time and reliance on suppliers with questionable standards could adversely affect the continuous supply of electricity at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant.
The Auditor General’s Report : https://www.newswire.lk/pdf/auditor_general_report_coal_imports.pdf (Newswire)