Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and ministry secretary Udayanga Hemapala resigned on Friday amid protests over coal imports for power generation. The resignations were handed over to Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, marking the first high-profile cabinet minister resignation due to corruption allegations.
Jayakody stepped down to pave way for investigations into alleged imports of low-quality coal for Sri Lanka’s only coal-fired power plant, according to a statement from the president’s media office. The president has ordered a full-scale investigation into all coal imports dating back to 2009 and acknowledged that low-quality coal supply has impacted power generation at the state-run Lakvijaya Power Plant.
The power plant requires about 2.25 million metric tons of coal annually to meet around 40% of Sri Lanka’s power needs, as per a special audit report released earlier this month. Lower power generation prompted the country to order 300,000 metric tons of emergency coal last month and increased usage of diesel and furnace oil for thermal power to bridge the shortfall.
Sri Lanka, recovering from a severe financial crisis that peaked four years ago, imports all its fuel. Since the start of the Middle East crisis, the island nation has rationed fuel and declared every Wednesday a public holiday to manage stocks.