Even the emergency coal tender to the disreputable company.

Politicians and social activists point out that the emergency spot tender called for importing coal to avert a massive energy crisis that could have emerged in the country has again been awarded to the same company that was previously accused of delaying coal supply and providing substandard coal. Due to delays in coal supply, the relevant emergency tender was called on the 11th for five coal shipments, and four companies had submitted their bids for it.

In this instance, the Indian company 'Trident Kefer', which already supplies coal to the country, also submitted its bids, and ultimately, the authorities have taken steps to award the tender to them.

Critics strongly accuse that awarding this tender to a company that allegedly failed to supply coal stocks within the stipulated period and provided substandard raw materials is by no means an ethical act. They further emphasize that a standard for rejecting coal stocks if the energy generated from one kilogram of coal was less than 5900 kilocalories and the ash content exceeded 16 percent was previously in effect in Sri Lanka. However, they accuse the Ministry and the government of relaxing procurement rules during this tender call by changing the minimum value of that rejection limit, enabling the Indian company to supply substandard coal.

When questioned about these allegations, the local representative of 'Trident Kefer' company stated that the tender was awarded to them because their company submitted the lowest bid under competitive prices. While the other two companies proposed prices of $142 and $174 per metric ton of coal, their company agreed to provide it for an amount like $121. However, he mentioned that after the emergency tender was also awarded to them, as a result of discussions with the Lanka Coal Company, the emergency tender was cancelled, and an agreement was reached to provide coal for the five ships at the prices of the previous tender, i.e., $98.50 per metric ton. Accordingly, he pointed out that with the price per metric ton decreasing from $121 to $98.50, the Sri Lankan government would gain a significant profit of over $13 million from just one ship.

When asked about this controversial incident, Energy Minister Mr. Kumara Jayakody stated that the Ministry of Energy has no involvement in the tender process and that information regarding it should be sought from the Lanka Coal Company. Accordingly, calls were made to the mobile phone of Mr. Hewage Namal, the General Manager of Lanka Coal Company, to obtain further information, but he did not respond.