Did the Energy Minister state that the government has no role in the electricity tariff revisions?

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Misleading content related to government decisions and remarks by cabinet ministers continues to circulate on social media. Amid ongoing public discussion regarding a possible revision of electricity tariffs, several viral posts claimed that the Minister of Energy had made a statement distancing the government from the proposed tariff increase. We conducted a fact check on those claims.

Social Media Posts

A post created using the style of the Sirasa News1st Facebook page suggested that the Minister of Energy had allegedly stated that the proposed increase in the electricity tariff was carried out at the insistence of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), and that both the President and the Cabinet had opposed the decision, as seen below.

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Screenshots of this post drew considerable engagement from social media users, many of whom assumed the Minister had made such a remark. 

Similar posts referencing the same allegation were shared across multiple Facebook pages.

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Due to the wide circulation of these claims, we proceeded to verify whether the Minister had in fact issued such a statement.

Fact Check :

The Ceylon Electricity Board has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57% increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026. PUCSL has confirmed that the proposal will be examined through standard procedures and discussions before any final decision is made.

In this context, social media posts alleged that the Minister of Energy claimed the tariff increase was solely the request of the Electricity Board and that the government was not involved.

Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody

When contacted, Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody dismissed the circulating posts as entirely false. He stated that he had not issued any comment regarding tariff revisions and added that no final decision on electricity tariff adjustments has been taken to date.

The Media Division of the Ministry of Energy also confirmed that no such statement had been issued by the Minister.

News1st has not issued any statement of this nature.

Although the circulating screenshot resembled the News1st Facebook post format, no such post appeared on the official News1st page. The News1st Digital Division also confirmed that they had not reported such news.

Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL)

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is a statutory corporate body established under the Ceylon Electricity Board Act No. 17 of 1969. It is overseen by a Board of Directors, including a Chairman appointed by the Minister in charge of Energy. Day-to-day operations are managed by a General Manager along with a senior executive team.

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), established under Act No. 35 of 2002, functions as the independent economic, technical, and safety regulator for the electricity sector. It is headed by a Director General who serves as the Chief Executive Officer, supported by five Commissioners appointed by the Minister. 

Accordingly, proposals submitted by the Ceylon Electricity Board, whose leadership, like that of PUCSL, is appointed through government portfolios, must be examined and approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka before implementation.

Proposed Electricity Tariff Revision for 2026

The Ceylon Electricity Board has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka seeking a revision of electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026 (January–March). CEB has requested an overall increase of 11.57%, citing a projected revenue shortfall of Rs. 13,094 million.

According to the proposal, both fixed charges and per-unit rates are to be increased. The submission was made to the Public Utilities Commission on December 24, and the Commission has stated that it will review it and initiate public consultation.

Public consultations are scheduled for the second week of January, and a final decision is expected within six weeks. The proposed revision is estimated to generate revenue exceeding Rs. 13 billion for the CEB and would apply across domestic, industrial, and other tariff categories.

Further reporting on the proposal can be found here.

The proposal has also drawn significant political objections, which can be reviewed here.

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Conclusion:

Accordingly, the fact-checking report confirms that claims circulating on social media suggesting that the Ministry of Energy stated the electricity tariff increase was implemented solely by the Ceylon Electricity Board without any government involvement are inaccurate.