Aug 05, Colombo: Sri Lanka's state owned power monopoly, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is considering imposing a fee for the use of street lamps.

Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka says the plan to charge for the use of street lamps would be proposed since 250 megawatts of electricity is spent on the street lamps.

He has explained that the reduction in the use of street lamps could help the Ministry's target of reducing energy consumption in the country by 1.5 gigawatts a day.

According to Ranawaka, apart from turning off street lamps, the Ministry is also to appoint energy auditors to monitor the commercial sector and suggest ways to reduce energy consumption.

Power and Energy Ministry statistics state that the 1,500 factories and the commercial districts in the country use nearly 40 percent of the country's total energy and the plan is to now reduce the amount by 10 percent.