2026-02-20 / Adjournment Motion: Coal procurement for Lakvijaya Power Plant at Norochcholai (Part 2) 2026-02-20
## Summary
Hon. Hector Appuhamy, representing the Puttalam District where the Norochcholai coal power plant is located, raised serious concerns about the quality of coal procured for the plant and alleged corrupt conduct surrounding the tender process. He highlighted contradictory test reports from the Indonesian loading port and Cotecna India regarding coal quality specifications — particularly calorific value (GCV 5,900–6,150 kcal/kg) and ash content (not exceeding 16%) — and demanded an immediate investigation into which laboratory report was falsified.
He further questioned whether the Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS), which is linked to the North Western Provincial Environmental Authority and the Central Environmental Authority, had been operationally suspended between November and February, suggesting this may have been deliberate. He noted that the first coal shipment was rejected for being off-specification and argued that under environmental law, the Environmental Protection Licence (EPL) should consequently have been cancelled.
Appuhamy warned that continued use of substandard coal would either damage the plant's boilers — necessitating costly diesel generation as a fallback — or, if the plant were operated at reduced capacity to prevent damage, result in significantly higher electricity tariffs and potential blackouts around the Sinhala New Year in April. He also alleged that a figure identified as "Ruwan," linked to Kenya, was involved in the procurement arrangement at a level above the Minister, and raised concerns about environmental harm to local communities from increased coal dust during the dry season.
Hon. Presiding Member, part of my time has already been cut.
The Minister said, “Don’t believe ‘Kota Humba, Kota Miniha’” (tall tales). He should clarify who this “Kota” is—he started his speech with a quote from “Kota.” The Government must fairly answer the Opposition’s motion, not wave around irrelevant claims.
Norochcholai is in my Puttalam District, in the Kalpitiya area. People there sacrificed their lives and livelihoods and continue to face significant environmental burdens for the national good.
Remember, the tender is tied to the North Western Provincial Environmental Authority. There are set standards and rejections for calorific value and ash. The tender was based on GCV 5,900–6,150 kcal/kg and ash not exceeding 16%. The first ship was rejected. If the first ship was off-spec, the NWP Environmental Authority should have cancelled the EPL; otherwise Norochcholai would have had to shut down. That is environmental law. The Minister for Environment should have addressed this.
The EPL was maintained not just to keep the plant running but also to protect the environment. For coal combustion, a Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) linked with the Central Environmental Authority and line agencies is installed; sensors on the stack report online to the NWP Environmental Authority. I ask the Minister: in January and February this year, was CEMS operational, or was it stopped? From the first ship’s testing in November until February, it was stopped. Is that part of the racket? Please answer.
Next: Norochcholai has three 300 MW units (total 900 MW). From initial to subsequent tests, loading-port reports repeatedly said “1 and 6 pass,” but from Cotecna India the report says “1 and 6 reject.” How did these contradictory reports arise? Is Cotecna lying, or is the Indonesian loading-port lab lying? This must be investigated immediately.
We now hear that a “Ruwan” connected to Kenya is behind this with the Government, even above the Minister. The Minister will be made the fall guy, but higher links are involved. If the coal were good, each unit should produce around 300 MW; recently, the three units have produced only 500–700 MW totals. That signals bad coal. The NWP Environmental Authority should then refuse to renew the EPL because of environmental harm.
If poor coal is used and the plant is run 24 hours at full load, boilers and machinery will be damaged; if a boiler fails, repairs can take six months. In the meantime, to supply power we must run diesel generators—this is the other part of the “racket.” Also, the new coal has much more dust, gravely harming local people, especially as the “Varakan” (dry season) winds carry coal dust into homes and fields, killing trees and crops.
One last point: if the plant is run 24 hours on this coal, the plant will be ruined; if run at 50% to “save” it, tariffs will triple or quadruple; by April the country will face blackouts—plunged into darkness during the Sinhala New Year—because the Minister is trying to fill his pocket through this racket.
Thank you.