Loss from the coal scam exceeds Rs 100 billion
Posted on April 9th, 2026
Courtesy Hiru News
Total financial losses resulting from the coal scam exceed Rs. 100 billion, claims Member of Parliament D.V. Chanaka.
During a special media briefing held by the Joint Opposition in Parliament today (09), he stated that estimated losses for April, May, and June alone amount to over Rs. 25 billion.
He further noted that when calculating losses starting from January, the total figure surpasses the Rs. 100 billion mark.
The MP highlighted findings from the Auditor General’s report, which indicate that Rs. 2.2 billion was spent on additional coal alone.
The report also reveals a loss of 141 million units of electricity due to issues with nine coal shipments.
Consequently, these 141 million units must be generated using diesel, which currently costs Rs. 125 per unit.
This shift to diesel generation results in an additional expenditure exceeding Rs. 11 billion.
A coal shortage is inevitable in June, necessitating the use of diesel to power the entire 900 MW capacity of the Norochcholai power plant.
This situation will likely lead to power cuts.
Despite early warnings that the coal tender process was corrupt, the government—including the President and Energy Minister Punya Kumara—allegedly worked to conceal the matter.
The MP concluded that the government utilised seven different interests to hide this coal fraud, which the latest Auditor General’s report confirmed as highly corrupt.