Industry – Page 523 – Lanka Business Online

Maritime Confab

Apr 20, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will host a regional port conference and exhibition in May, showcasing the island’s rapid advancement as South Asia’s emerging maritime hub and growing commercial opportunities, organizers said. Sri Lanka Ports Authority chief Priyath Wickrama told prospective participants in a statement that the event will allow top domestic and […]

Sri Lanka biz chamber urges transparency at power utility after hike

Apr 19, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said the latest hike will see power costs going up by 20 to 30 percent and the state power utility to should follow the directions of the regulator to increase its transparency.The Chamber said the Public Utilities Commission had not made adjustments to tariffs […]

SriLankan Airlines revisiting feasibility of re-fleeting: minister

Apr 18, 2013 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airlines is revisiting the feasibility of re-fleeting in the wake of developments in the international aviation market, minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said.“They are re-visiting the entire feasibility,” Rambukwelle told reporters when asked whether the airline was going ahead with a plan to re-fleet the airline with new long haul […]

Petro Law

Apr 18, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will introduce a new law on oil exploration and incorporate a separate entity to regulate upstream petroleum activities, minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said. Sri Lanka’s Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat will be incorporated into an independent regulatory body with responsibility to prepare government policy on petroleum exploration and production. It […]

Sri Lanka main opposition slams tariff hike, power regulator independence

Apr 18, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party has slammed a power tariff hike for very low users and the questioned the independence of the regulator, after a proposal of the state power monopoly was approved almost unchanged.But the regulator had earlier dis-allowed 40 billion rupees from proposed expenses of state-run […]

‘s power regulator sets conditions for CEB transparency

Apr 18, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s power regulator has set eight conditions for cost transparency at state-run Ceylon Electricity Board, which it said came from consumer suggestions at a public hearing.Other analysts have also questioned the efficiency of several thermal plants and called for PPA’s to be made public. CEB has to initiate power […]

Tourists should not fear Sri Lanka police tracking: hotelier

Apr 18, 2013 (LBO) – There should be no fears over moves by police to track tourists who are staying in hotels, as some other countries also follow the practice, a top tourist industry official said.“Some other countries also do follow the same procedure. So no one should get frightened about it,” Anural Lokuhetty, chairman […]

Auto Cash

Apr 18, 2013 (LBO) – Commercial Bank of Ceylon, Sri Lanka’s largest private lender by assets said its 562 automated teller machine network had dispensed 1.79 billion rupees on April 10, the highest ever for a single day. In Sri Lanka cash withdrawals from banks peak in April, during a traditional New Year festival period. […]

Debenture

Apr 18, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Senkadagala Finance Plc (SFC) will sell one billion rupees of 3 and 4-year debt which have been given an expected ‘BBB+(lka)’ rating, Fitch Ratings said. The rating has a stable outlook. BBB+(lka) is an investment grade rating. “The proposed debentures will be issued in two tranches with a […]

Sri Lanka police starts tracking tourists

Apr 17, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s police have started to track foreign tourists “for their own safety” amid rising crime, a media report said.Hotels and guest houses have been told to submit weekly reports fo their foreign guests to police as part of a new ‘security plan for tourists,’ including visa a passport details. […]

Sri Lanka power tariffs raised – Update

Apr 17, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s power regulator has approved a tariff request by state-run Ceylon Electricity Board denying a request to reduce tariffs of large domestic users, after earlier cutting of 40 billion rupees in estimated costs.High user domestic tariffs at around 44 rupees a unit with the fuel surcharge are more than […]

Sri Lanka should stop ad hoc, shock tariff increases: power users

Apr 16, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka should stop raising power tariffs suddenly by large percentages after driving the economy to crisis, but use an already established methodology to revise prices in an orderly way, consumers said.“These ad hoc tariff increases are bad of the industry,” Srilal Miththapala, representing hotels at a public hearing on […]