Sri Lanka, June 1 -- The Government has introduced a stringent set of rules for next year's coal imports to prevent low-quality products from entering the country, Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka has said.

The Minister emphasised that numerous special specifications have been included in the new tender document to prevent fraud and irregularities in future coal procurement.

New tenders have already been called to purchase 25 shipments of coal, each consisting of 60,000 metric tonnes, to meet the requirements of the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant.

Under the previous system, Sri Lanka had to rely solely on the reports provided by the coal supplier. Under the new mechanism, arrangements have been made for Sri Lanka to directl...