PRESS RELEASE

Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, the electricity sector regulator, today announced the newly gazetted four regulations in the areas of customer satisfaction in service, quality well as electrical safety and energy conservation.
These regulations were recommended to the Minister of Power & Renewable Energy and gazetted in July 2016 are now in effect.
The Regulations include,
Electricity (Distribution) Performance Standards Regulations;
Electricity (Transmission) Performance Standards Regulations;
Electricity (Safety, Quality & Continuity) Regulations; and
Utility-Driven Demand Side Management (DSM) Regulations.
The Electricity (Distribution) Performance Standards Regulations will ensure that the quality of electricity supply is in accordance with the standards specified in the Regulations, thus guaranteeing that the distribution system is operated safely, efficiently and with a high degree of reliability. It defines a methodology to compensate tariff customers and consumers for under performance by a distribution licensee. The regulation also specifies the customer service standards that required to be maintained by distribution licensees in order to ensure an efficient service for end users.
In the case of underperformance of the distribution licensee, the consumer will get a relief from the next tariff revision of the licensee through a deduction of the approved expenditure for the improvement of electricity quality.
The electricity consumers will also be compensated for the damages of equipment due to abnormal voltages and phase reversals in the distribution systems from 13th of January 2017.

The Implementation of the regulation will be complete in three stages, namely preliminary stage, adaptation stage and hands-on stage over 3 years from the day the regulations come into force.
Electricity (Transmission) Performance Standards Regulations reads in connection with bulk sales of electricity, will ensure guaranteed minimum standards of service that the Transmission Licensee shall achieve and maintain in the discharge of its duties while improving the quality, safety and efficient operation with a high degree of reliability of the electricity supply. Implementation of the regulations will be completed in three stages, namely preliminary stage, adaptation stage and hands-on stage over 3 years from the day the regulations come into force.
Electricity (Safety, Quality & Continuity) Regulations impose requirements regarding the installation and use of electrical networks and equipment owned or operated by electricity Generation, Distribution and Transmission Licensees, including their sub-contractors and agents, as well as consumers. The said Regulations include, amongst others, provisions relating to electrical protection and earthing, substations (specifically requirements for enclosures, safety and other signs), underground cables and associated equipment, overhead lines, generation, provision of electricity to consumers’ installations and other networks etc.
Demand Side Management (DSM) regulations are seen as one of the key tools to achieve the energy efficiency and energy conservation in the country. Hence, PUCSL is now attempting to revive and strengthen the DSM activities within electricity utilities through notification and implementation of DSM regulations.
These regulations are intended to create necessary institutional framework and broad processes, by which many utility-driven demand side management programmes could be designed, implemented and monitored effectively.