Sam I

Tech Lead @ day | Builder @ night 💻✨
📍AUS via 🇱🇰 | Raising thinkers 🧠❤️
Talking AI, systems, growth & freedom
🎯 TechDev to personal Dev — Let’s optimize

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

Here is a closer look at #SriLanka #coal procurement for the #CEB's Lakvijaya Power Plant: tender delays, emergency procedures, supplier selection, and disputed coal quality.
This thread breaks down the timeline, decisions, and unanswered questions involving the Ceylon Electricity Board.

Operational Context
•The Lakvijaya Power Plant operates 3 × 300 MW units (total 900 MW installed capacity).
•Coal procurement typically supports annual seasonal shipping (approx. Sept–April).
•Annual requirement estimated at ~35–38 shipments
•Coal quality thresholds defined by calorific value and ash content (Main factors out of 7 or 8)
•Coal procurement handled through tenders under the #CEB.

Tender Planning Period (Expected vs Actual)

Expected timeline (standard practice)
•Tender preparation: April
•Tender closing: July
•Supply begins: September

Actual timeline stated
•Tender expected April 2025
•Reminders raised in Parliament in June, July, August
🔴No actions were taken despite so many reminders inside parliament and outside of it.

(Man made) Emergency Procurement Phase

August — Emergency tender called
•Classified as emergency procurement despite had been waiting for months delaying this process.
•Bid submission period reduced from typical ~42 days to ~21 days
🔴This caused elimination of reputed large scale suppliers who could supply high quality coal.

Tender Conditions and Eligibility Changes

During procurement:
🔴Supplier experience requirement reduced (1 million tons → 100,000 tons).
🔴 Significant eligibility change; requires comparison with official tender documents.

Minister Intervention
🔴Minister allegedly met a bidding company during evaluation period.
•Big NO, NO considering this is one of the biggest government procurement deal

Evaluation and approval stage
•Technical review expected within 1–2 weeks as this was supposed to be an emergency requirement.
🔴However, Cabinet approval reportedly granted after ~7 weeks.
🔴This contrasts with “emergency” framing and has serious concern whether government wanted to have a “desired” supplier by allowing them to get registered and have the bond ready.

Tender Award Phase
Mid-November
•Tender awarded to a company.
Reported concerns about selected supplier:
🔴Prior blacklisting in another import case in year 2016.
🔴Alleged financial misconduct history of the owners.

Earlier supply phases

Context
•Some shipments historically accepted with penalties when quality was marginally down
•Such cases were rare in the past.

Delivery schedule planned
•December: 3 ships
•January–March: 6 ships each month
•April: 4 ships
•Total planned: 25 ships
🔴 Lower than earlier stated annual requirement of 35–38 ships.

Early Warning Stage (First Shipments of Current Contract)
After first coal shipment used
•Power plant officials reported low generation performance to ministry.
•Performance concerns linked to coal quality
🔴 No actions were taken by Ministry but minister was in a hurry to defend the company in the Parliament

After second shipment
•A second report submitted stating quality did not meet standards
🔴Still No actions were taken by Ministry

Interpretation noted in report
🔴Tender could have been potentially cancelled based on these findings after first two shipments.
No such actions on warnings issued

Supply Phase (Continuation)
Actual delivery performance
•December deliveries incomplete only 01 arrived on time. Second one was delayed.
•Second shipment allegedly delayed beyond contractual interval.
🔴Contract could have been cancelled due to not meeting tender conditions at this time. Not done.

Quality Dispute
Testing and certification dispute
🔴Supplier relied on Indonesian lab testing instead of SGS port certification at the dispatching port ( which was easy to take than taking from elsewhere).
🔴Local testing reportedly found all 9 shipments below acceptable thresholds.

Operational performance observation
🔴Plant performance analysis suggested low calorific value coal < 5900 level. Determined through basic reverse engineering mechanism. This matches with the local lab test results perfectly.

🔴All 9 shipments are below standard as per the calculations so far.

💲 Loss from 1st shipment: Rs. 595.1 million
💲 Loss from 2nd shipment: Rs. 288.5 million
💲 Loss from 3rd shipment: Rs. 1,047.4 million
💲 Loss from 4th shipment: Rs. 865.0 million
💲 Loss from 5th shipment: Rs. 1,144.2 million
💲 Loss from 6th shipment: Rs. 1,197.7 million
💲 Loss from 7th shipment: Rs. 974.9 million
💲 Loss from 8th shipment: Rs. 1,559.3 million

#NPP #Corruption

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

@Le_Julius_J @LeonMPerumal Better than nothing. But if an apartment is 100 Mn rs even if all bought by overseas ppl still abt 300 Mn usd inflow only. 😕is it the ROI levels SL thought of when planning the port city

[Architect NLA @one_miloo]

I love what AUDI did with this Q9 lights wtf

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

@NewsWireLK 6/ As for many other things this man has no idea about what he is talking about and clearly shows he has no capacity to understand this or no experience to understand what it takes to truly build something

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

@NewsWireLK 5/ These facilities are particularly valuable for adults and complement traditional sporting infrastructure.
I am puzzled about what else he is talking about as ideas to improve sports culture.

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

@chamihin Another easy way to keep a safe distance
Pick a fixed landmark on the road (a pole, overhead bridge, etc.). When the vehicle in front passes it, start counting: 1001, 1002, ... 1005.
If u reach it b4 the count ends, you're following too closely. Aim to keep min. a 5-second gap

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

Predicted this last year ...

https://t.co/CEiWTvFufa

[EconomyNext Sri Lanka @economynext]

Sri Lanka’s proposed US$540 million deal with Clothespin Management and Development to build a hotel within the Colombo Port City, has expired unsigned in January 2026, the Director General of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC) told EconomyNext.
https://t.co/e209MVWXv3

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

Predicted this last year ...

https://t.co/sBSt8yERkt

[Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ @shanaka86]

🔥 PORT CITY SUPERCHARGE: $1B+ IN FDI UNLOCKED UNDER STRATEGIC STATUS GAZETTE
🏗️ Colombo’s skyline is about to change forever. So is the tax code.

🚨 On July 14, 2025, President Anura Dissanayake officially granted “Primary Business of Strategic Importance” status to four megaprojects within Colombo Port City, triggering the most aggressive tax incentive regime in Sri Lanka’s modern history.

🏦 Total FDI across all four projects: >$1.1 BILLION

🔓 Strategic Status = Total Tax Immunity:
• 0% income tax, dividend tax, WHT for 25 years
• 0% VAT, Customs, PAL, EDB Levy, Excise on all inputs
• After 25 years: 50% corporate tax relief for another 10 years
• Effective validity: July 14, 2025 – July 13, 2060

🏢 THE FOUR STRATEGIC PROJECTS

1️⃣ IFC Colombo 1 (CHEC/China Harbour)
→ $142.71M FDI
→ Commercial + Residential mixed-use hub
→ Fully foreign-funded

2️⃣ Ceylon Real Estate Holdings (LOLC/Browns)
→ $320.4M (USD) + Rs. 32.1B (LKR) land investment
→ Grade A office space + luxury residences
→ Targeting 4,000–6,000 jobs

3️⃣ Clothespin Management & Dev.
→ $540.1M project
→ Twin-tower “Clothespin Towers” with a 7-star hotel, vertical art gallery (Guinness Record bid), and elite commercial real estate
→ Most iconic luxury project in Sri Lankan history

4️⃣ ICC Port City (ICC Group)
→ $66M + Rs. 13.8B
→ Two apartment towers + five ultra-luxury villas

⚖️ Why This Matters:
• Sets a benchmark precedent for FDI structuring
• These companies are now legally exempt from most of Sri Lanka’s core tax legislation for decades
• Incentives mirror Singapore-style SEZ frameworks — long criticized as absent in SL
• The “strategic status” can be revoked if lease agreements are not finalized within 6 months

📜 Covered Acts:
– Inland Revenue Act
– VAT Act
– Excise (Special Provisions)
– Customs Ordinance
– Finance Acts 2002, 2005
– Ports and Airports Development Levy
– EDB Act

📆 Validity:
– Inland Revenue: until 2060
– Other Acts: until 2050

🌍 Geoeconomic Lens:
• China, via CHEC, expands soft power inside Port City
• LOLC becomes the local FDI anchor
• ICC shows homegrown construction capacity
• Clothespin Towers positions Sri Lanka on global art+luxury map

💣 This is not just a tax holiday. This is Sri Lanka’s most radical economic zone activation since independence.

#PortCity #FDI #SriLanka #StrategicStatus #ColomboSkyline #TaxIncentives #RealEstateBoom #SEZ #LOLC #CHEC #Browns #ICC #ClothespinTowers #InvestmentSriLanka #AsiaRising #AnuraDissanayake #UrbanTransformation #CSE2025 #Vision2050

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

History shows that when #SriLanka avoids major disruptions, export revenue has grown by over 10% in some years. Based on that, we should be targeting at least USD 28 B in exports by 2028. #28By28 has a nice ring to it. Let's see if #NPP can deliver.

#Exports #EDB #Growth

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

Impressed by this Moroccan side so far. Brazil seems to rattled a bit so far.
#fifawoldcup #WorldCom #brazilvsmorocco

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

@yudhanjaya Are these guys nuts ! power generation/ transmission is a complete mess and talking about data centers now.

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

1/ These incapable/ incompetent government members and leader of the house does not understand the following ..

Statutory fund established through Parliament provides stronger governance, transparency, accountability, and legal legitimacy than a Treasury account administered by the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury.

Public funds must be established in accordance with the Constitution and the Public Financial Management framework. A statutory fund requires Parliamentary approval, whereas the current arrangement is simply an account maintained under the Treasury. This is simply similar to "Trust Us because its us " kind of line that AKD threw a few months back on something else..with all what has happened can we do that ??

Greater Transparency

A dedicated statutory fund can have:

- Clearly defined objectives
- Public reporting requirements
- Independent financial statements
- Defined governance structures
- Parliamentary oversight

Why the government is hesitant to establish the fund if there is nothing to hide...

Stronger Accountability

A statutory fund generally requires:

- Audited annual accounts
- Reporting to Parliament
- Defined trustees or governing board
- Clear spending mandates
Are all of the above bad ??

Increased Donor Confidence

For foreign governments, multilateral agencies, corporations, and diaspora donors, a statutory fund often provides:

Assurance that funds cannot be mixed with general Treasury operations
Clear audit trails
Independent oversight
Public disclosure of receipts and expenditures

This can encourage larger contributions because donors know exactly how funds are managed.

Faster and More Targeted Disbursement

A properly designed rebuilding fund can establish:

Dedicated procurement rules
Special project approval mechanisms
Specific rebuilding programs

Instead of being treated as another Treasury account awaiting normal budgetary processes.

I hope @BimalRathnayake understands English and his SM team will reply to this thread. Thanks

[TZA Throwing Zone Athletics @MichaelMMG71]

92.62 m. #srilanka 💥

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

What the government has largely done so far is continue the fiscal strengthening measures initiated by the previous administration, driven by several key policy reforms that were passed during that period.

However, the second and arguably more important component deep structural reforms required to drive real economic growth has either progressed at a very slow pace or not at all.

There is realistically no alternative to continuing with the IMF program in the short term to maintain stability.

But without meaningful structural reforms, Sri Lanka may struggle to achieve the sustained 6–7% growth needed to take the country to the next level.

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

THREE CUPS. ONE NATION. HISTORY CALLING. 🏆🏆🏆

For the first time ever, English clubs are on the brink of an UNPRECEDENTED TREBLE across Europe.

🔵 Champions League – The ultimate prize. 🔴 Europa League – The road to glory. 🟢 Conference League – The new dream.
Three different competitions. Three English teams. One legendary season could etch an era that will NEVER be forgotten. 😳🔥
THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING.
Come on England. Let’s make football history! 🦁

#ThreeCupsOneNation #England #premierleauge

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

ලොකු පම්පෝරිකාරයෙකුයි පොර වටේ ඉන්න සෙට් එකකුයි හිත ඉන්නවා උන්ට වැඩ වැඩකාරයෝ ලංකාවේ කොහෙවත් නැහැ කියල..අවුරුදු හැටකටත් වඩා දේසපාලනේ ඉඳල ..ලොකු පම්පෝරිකාරය ගත්තොත් අවුරුදු 25කට , සියවස් කාලයකට වැඩ පාර්ලිමේන්තු ඉඳලා , කොවිඩ් වලටයි, ඒකට සමගමීවුනු ගොබ්බ ආර්ථික වැඩ පිළිවෙලක් නිසා රට බන්කොලත් උන වාතාවරණයක් නිසා ඔඩොක්කුවට කඩා පාත් උන බලය හින්ද පට්ට විදියට ඔලුව උදුම්මාගෙන ඉන්නේ සෙට් එක ..හෙන strategic move එකකින් බලය ගත්ත ගානට තමා හැසිරෙන්නේ ...
හලෝ මිනිස්සුන්ට එපා වෙලා චන්දෙ දුන්න නිසා මිසක් තමුන්ලට මේ කපේට බලය හම්බ වෙන්නේ නැහැ ..අති බහුතරය මේකටත් දීල බලමු කියන අදහසින් තමා චන්දෙ දුන්නේ ...එක තවත් තීව්ර කලා මහ චන්දෙදි වැඩේ ලේසි කරන්න ..බලාපොරොත්තු රොත්තක් එක්ක ...

හැබැයි දැන් මිනිස්සු දන්නවා අය්ය්ලගේ වැඩ කිරීමේ හැකියාව ..දශක ගානක් තිස්සේ කටින් බතල හිටවපු , ලෝකේ තියන ඕනේ ප්‍රශ්නයකට වේදිකාව උඩ විසදුම් තිබිච්ච කුමාරයා ඇඹරෙන විදිය දැක්කම දුක හිතෙනවා ..පොර ගැන නෙමේ රට ගැන ... .. ..

IMF frameowork ඇතුලේ යන ආර්ථික වැඩ පිළිවෙල, crisis එක කලේ ගිය ලක්ෂ 2ක් විතර ශ්‍රම බලකාය ඇතුළුව (නැතුව මේ ගොබ්බයො බලයට අවම ශාරමිකයෝ වැඩියෙන් සල්ලි එවලා නෙමේ) රට ශ්‍රමිකයන් එවන ප්‍රේෂණ , සංචාරක ව්‍යාපාරයෙන් එන අදායම නිසා තමන්ත් යන්තම් අපි මේකේ එල්ලලිලා ඉන්නවා ..මේගොල්ලෝ කලා වගේ විපක්ෂය පාරේ උදේ හවා උද්ගෝෂණය කලා නම් මේවත් අඩු වෙන්න තිබුණා ..

හැබැයි මෙතනින් එහාට යන්න කිසිම දැක්මක්, අත්දැකීමක් තියන කිසි ලෝන්තයෙක් මේ ආණ්ඩුවේ නැහැ ...මුන්ට උපදෙස් දෙන දම්මික ඉෂාර ගේ මොලෙන් රටක් ගොඩ දාන්න බැහැ ..මොකද රටක් කියන්නේ සමුහ ව්‍යාපාරයක් නොවන නිසා ..මේ අයගේ ලනු කාල තමා ගෝටට කෙල උනෙත් ....

රුපියල අවප්‍රමාණය වීම සීග්‍ර වෙලා තියෙන්නේ .භාණ්ඩාගාර බිල්පත් ගනුදෙනු වලට ආයෝජකයන් සහභාගී වන ආකාරය මේකට හොඳම නිදසුනක් ..ඒක ඉස්සහරට වෙන්න තියන නස්පැත්තිය ගැන පුර්ව අදහසක් ගන්න පුළුවන් ..මේ හේතුවෙන් .රාජ්‍ය සුරැකුම්පත් වෙළඳපොළ තුළ විදේශ ආයෝජන ආපසු යමින් ඇති ආකාරය පහුගිය කාලේ දකින්න පුළුවන් ..විදේශිකයින් සතු වූ රුපියල් මිලියන 20,509ක මේවනවිටත් රටින් අරන් ගිහින් ..අවුරුද්ද අන්තිම වෙනකොට චීනෙන් ගත්තත් බිලියන 1.5 ආසන්න පරමනයත් ගෙවන්න ඕනේ ...ගොඩක් වෙලාවට චීනේ මේක rollover කරයි ..නැත්නම් බදඩු බනිස් ..මේ මිනිස්සු restructure කරපු ණය ගෙවන කලේ වෙනකන් හිටියොත් නම් මොනවයින් මොනවා වෙනවද දන්නේ නැහැ ..T B සරත් යුව රජතුමා කිව්වා වගේ IMF deal එකෙන් යන්න තමා වෙන්නේ ..හැබැයි එකේ සාර්ථකව නිමා කරලා නම් නෙමේ ...කොන්දේසි ඉටු කරන්න බැරිව ....

එතකොට රටේ ඉතුරු වෙලා ඉන්න වැඩක් කරන්න පුළුවන් මද්යම පන්තියේ ඉතුරු ටිකත් රටේ නැති වෙයි ..මොලේ කල්පනා කරන්න ..අවුරුදු දෙකක් කියන්නේ ලොකු කාලයක් ..ආණ්ඩුවේ කාලයෙන් 40% අසන්න කාලයක් ගිහින් ...ආර්ථික අර්බුදයෙන් පතුලේ ඉඳල ලිං ගැට්ට උඩට ඇවිල්ල තිබුන රට ආයිත් පතුලට වැටෙන්න නැති වෙන්න වේගයෙන් පියාඹන්න ඕනේ අවුරුදු දෙකක් ..අපි බඩ ගාන්නෙවත් නැහැ ..මේ මිනිස්සු මෙහෙම තව අවුරුදු දෙකක් බඩගෑවොත් අපිට මොකද වෙන්නේ කියල හිතල බලන්න ..උගත් මිනිස්සු නිශ්ශබ්දව සිටිය යුතු නැහැ තවත් ...අඩුම වශයෙන් හිතන්න පටන් ගන්න ...

#SriLanka #Economy #Future #NPP #LKA #Think

[Sam I @SamIddaSL]

I feel bad for the executives who have to explain complex business realities to people who’ve never event dreamt of running a "Petti Kade" let alone a publicly listed company.

As I’ve said before, You cannot expect a company to survive, by simply giving "an office assistant" of a company the CEO role