Sri Lanka Electricity Act 2024 · As enacted · Part XIV · Repeals and Transitional Provisions
52. Interpretation
Official English translation. The Sinhala text prevails.
Official translationFrom Department of Government Printing, unchanged
In this Act unless the context otherwise requires -
“additional transmission licensees” means, the companies to which additional transmission licences are granted under subsection (2) of section 14;
“authorise” means authorised by licence or exemption under this Act;
“authorised area” in relation to a person authorised by a licence to transmit or to distribute and supply electricity, means, the area designated in the licence;
“bulk sales” in relation to the sale of electricity means, the sale of electricity in bulk by
National System Operator to distribution licensees, and to traders and customers who are connected to the transmission network, as may be identified in the relevant licence;
“bulk supply account” means, the account maintained by the National System Operator to record the bulk sales of electricity and purchase of electricity from generation licensees;
“captive generating plant” means, a power plant set up by any person to generate electricity primarily for such person’s own use;
“Ceylon Electricity Board” means, the Ceylon
Electricity Board established by the Ceylon
Electricity Board Act, No. 17 of 1969;
“connect” in relation to any premises means, to connect a consumer to the distribution line of the distribution licensee, and the expression “connection” shall be construed accordingly;
“consumer” means, any person who is supplied with electricity for personal use by a licensee or the Government of Sri Lanka or by any other person engaged in the business of supplying electricity to the public and includes any person whose premises are for the time being connected for the purpose of receiving electricity and includes any prospective consumer;
“dedicated transmission line” means, any electricity supply line or point to point connection which is required for the purpose of connecting electricity lines or electricity plants of a captive generating plant or generating station, to any transmission line or substation, as the case may be;
“dispatch” means. the informing the power plant operators of the power output to be produced by each power plant by the National System
Operator;
“distribute” in relation to electricity means, a system which consists of low voltage lines and electrical plant and is used for conveying electricity to any premises or to any other distribution system and the expressions
“distribution” and “distribution system” shall be construed accordingly;
“distribution line” in relation to a distribution licensee, means, any distribution line in the authorised area of the distribution licensee which is being used for the purpose of supplying electricity to any premises;
“distribution tariff” means, the tariff set by the
Regulator for recovering the reasonable cost of maintaining and operating the distribution network including the consumer services under subsection (6) of section 29;
“distribution voltage” means, any voltage not exceeding 33 kilovolt or such voltage as determined by the Regulator;
“electrical plant” means, any plant, equipment, or appliance used for or in connection with the generation, transmission, distribution or supply of electricity, and does not include any electricity line or any meter used for ascertaining the quantity of electricity supplied to any premises or any electrical appliance under the control of a consumer;
“electrical power system” means, the combination of electrical generators (i.e., power plants), transmission and distribution lines, equipment, circuits, and transformers used to generate and transport electricity from the generator to the consumption areas or to adjacent electrical power systems;
“electricity line” means, any line whether used for carrying electricity for any purpose which is laid underground or on the surface, and includes any equipment used as support for any such line, including, but not limited to, any structure, pole or other thing in, on, by or from which any such line is supported, carried or suspended; any apparatus connected to any such line for the purpose of carrying electricity; and any wire, cable, tube, pipe other similar thing (including its casing, insulator or coating) which surrounds or supports or is installed in close proximity to any such line;
“electricity trading” means, the purchase of electricity for resale and the expression
“trade” shall be construed accordingly;
“Electricity Supply Code” means, a Code of prescribed standards to be complied with by all distribution licensees;
“embedded generator” means. a generation plant that is connected to the distribution network;
“enforcement order” means an Order made in terms of subsection (4) of section 22 of this Act;
“feed in tariff” means. the power purchase tariff from the embedded generators;
“generating station” means. any facility for generating electricity, including the site where such generating station is installed, and any building, plant, transformer, switchgear, switch yard, cables or other appurtenant equipment, if any, used for the aforesaid purpose , and any building used for housing the operating staff of a generating station, and where electricity is generated by hydro power, includes penstocks, head and tail works, main and regulating reservoirs, dams and other hydraulic works, but does not include any substation;
“generator” means, a generation licensee or a person exempted from the requirement of obtaining a generation licence;
“grid” means, a high voltage backbone system of interconnected transmission lines, substations and generating plants;
“grid code” means, the operating procedures and standards for planning of power system, scheduling of generators, interconnection of generators, transmission equipment and consumers to the national grid, operation of the power system and the national grid and the metering of power transfers;
“high voltage line” means, an electricity line or cable of a nominal voltage exceeding 33
kilovolt, or of such nominal voltage as may be specified by the Regulator, from time to time;
“indigenous energy resources” means, any form of energy resource available in Sri Lanka such as domestically produced fossil fuel energy, energy produced from renewable energy and includes any other derivatives thereof but does not include any imported fossil fuel based energy products;
“interest” means, any financial or other interest directly or indirectly, in any company or undertaking carrying on any of the following activities :–
the generation, transmission, distribution, or supply of electricity;
the manufacture, production, sale or supply of fuel for the generation of electricity;
the import, manufacture, sale, lease, hire or other supply of or, dealing in, machinery, plant, equipment, apparatus or fittings for generation, transmission, distribution, supply or use of electricity; or
the provision of legal, accountancy or banking services to any company or undertaking;
“Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Ltd.” means, the Lanka Electricity Company (Private)
Limited registered under the Companies Act,
No. 07 of 2007;
“licence” means, a licence issued in terms of section 21 of this Act, and the term “licensee” means, any person to whom a licence in terms of this
Act has been issued for engaging in the activities connected to the generation, transmission, distribution, supply, trade or procurement of electricity;
“line” means, any wire, cable, pipe, conductor or other similar thing (including its casing or coating) which is designed or adapted for use in carrying electricity;
“local authority” means, a Municipal Council,
Urban Council or a Pradeshiya Sabha, and includes any authority created and established by or under any law to exercise, perform and discharge, powers, duties and functions corresponding to or similar to, the powers, duties and functions exercised, performed and discharged by any such
Municipal Council, Urban Council or a
Pradeshiya Sabha;
“Minister” means, the Minister assigned the subject of electricity in terms of Article 44 or 45 of the Constitution;
“National Grid” means, the transmission network consisting of transmission assets and grid substations owned by the National
Transmission Network Service Provider and additional transmission licensees;
“National System Operator” means, the person or body of persons to whom a licence has been issued in terms of section 10 of this Act;
“National Transmission Network Service Provider”
means, the person or body of persons to whom the licence to operate the National
Transmission Network has been granted;
“open access” means, the non-discriminatory provision for the use of transmission network or distribution lines or associated facilities for supplying electricity to consumers eligible to purchase electricity directly from generation licensees under this Act, in accordance with directions issued by the
Regulator. It permits third party suppliers to provide electricity to access the transmission and distribution network on the same conditions as the network owner or any other user, upon payment of a open access charges;
“open access charges” means, the charges set by the Regulator and levied by the transmission and distribution licensees for providing open access to consumers eligible for open access;
“power purchase agreement” means, the agreement between the National System Operator, distribution licensees or a consumer and a generation licensee governing the sale of electricity by the generation licensee;
“power system” means, all aspects of generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity and includes one or more of the following, namely:-
generating stations;
transmission lines;
substations;
tie-lines;
load dispatch activities;
distribution mains;
electricity supply lines;
overhead lines;
service lines; and
works;
“power sales agreement” means, the agreement between the distribution licensees and the
National System Operator governing the bulk sale of electricity to the distribution licensees by the National System Operator;
“premises” means, any land, building or structure;
“prescribed” means, prescribed by regulations made under this Act;
“public private partnership” means, the entering into a long term agreement with an investor for the provision of electricity, energy storage, ancillary services or transmission services where the capital investments will be substantially borne by the investor;
“regional market” means, the electricity market that is in operation outside the territory of
Sri Lanka within the South Asian Region;
“regional transmission network” means, the transmission network by the regional markets;
“standardized power purchase agreement” means, a power purchase agreement on pre-defined terms and conditions where the technology, specific power purchase tariff and other contractual terms for renewable energy based power plants having a maximum capacity of 10MW;
“successor companies” means, the companies incorporated under section 17 of the Act to take over the roles and responsibilities of the
Ceylon Electricity Board;
“supply” in relation to electricity means, the delivery of electricity through the distribution system to end users;
“supply tariff” means, the component of end user tariff set by the Regulator to cover the cost of bulk purchase tariff and transmission tariff paid by the distribution licensees;
“System Control Centre” means, the Centre established under section 10 of this Act for carrying out real time operation of the
National Grid;
“transmission interconnection” means, the equipment and facilities required for a safe and reliable interconnection of an electrical plant to the National Grid;
“transmission network” means, all high voltage cables and overhead lines (not being an essential part of the distribution system of a licensee) used for conveying electricity from a generation station to a grid substation, from one generation station to another or from one grid substation to another, together with any transformers, switchgear and other works and equipment necessary to and used for the control and protection of such cables or overhead lines, and such buildings or part thereof as may be required to accommodate such transformers, switchgear and other works and equipment;
“transmission service agreement” means, the agreement between the
National
Transmission Network Service Provider and the National System Operator governing the use of the National grid for transmitting electricity from generation licensees to distribution licensees and consumers;
“transmission tariff” means, the tariff charged by the transmission licensees for the use of transmission network from the National
System Operator;
“transmission voltage” means, any voltage above 33 kilovolt or such other voltage as determined by the Regulator to be the voltage or voltages at which the transmission system operates;
“transmit” in relation to electricity, means, the transportation of electricity by means of a transmission system, which consists of high voltage lines and electricity plant and is used for conveying electricity from a generating station to a grid substation, from one generating station to another or from one grid substation to another, and the expressions
“transmission” and “transmission system”
shall be construed accordingly;
“utility” means, the electricity lines or electricity plant, including all lands, buildings, works and materials attached thereto belonging to any person acting as a licensee under the provisions of this Act and an “electric utility”
means any plant, works, system, facilities or properties, together with all parts and appurtenances thereto, including contract and franchise rights used and useful primarily for the production, transmission or distribution of electric energy;
“Wholesale Electricity Market” means, a market where multiple electricity suppliers compete with each other to provide electricity to consumers at the most beneficial cost; and
“works” includes electricity line, and any building, plant, machinery, apparatus and any other thing of whatever description required to transmit, distribute or supply electricity to the public and to carry into effect the objects of a licence or sanction granted under this
Act.