කැමති මිලකට විකුණන්න: ඉන්ධන සැපයුම්කරුවන්ට බලශක්ති ඇමතිගෙන් උපදෙස්

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced plans for 75 new fuel stations operated by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), according to reports of his address at the 2026 Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit. He said the government had identified sites, particularly in places where consumers depend heavily on private fuel distributors. The expansion was presented as a response to supply disruptions.

Dissanayake said some private suppliers were restricting fuel distribution even though they had stocks in storage. He said private firms had been brought into the market to encourage competition, but argued that some could not match CPC’s prices. He questioned the price difference, citing Rs. 132 per litre for diesel, and said CPC would continue providing fuel at reasonable prices.

The president said CPC had made about Rs. 28 billion in profit and could use some earnings to soften the impact of higher fuel costs. He also said diesel supplies had been secured through December, with a subsidy of around Rs. 70 per litre. While he said assistance should be directed to groups such as farmers and small businesses, he cited shortcomings in data systems as an obstacle to identifying recipients. Discussions were under way on a more effective subsidy system.

The government had referred agreements with private fuel suppliers to the Attorney General for examination, Dissanayake said. He also raised concerns about private gas suppliers, alleging they had contributed to shortages while the state-owned gas company kept prices unchanged despite market pressures. Reports identify the CPC station plan as urgent, but do not give a timetable for opening the new sites.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.