Adani wind power project not yet been canceled – Minister
The Minister of Power, Kumara Jayakody, stated that the wind power project that was to be carried out with the Adani company has not yet been canceled.
The Minister made this statement during the first meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Energy of the First Session of the Tenth Parliament, which was held recently (06) at the Parliament under his Chairmanship.
During the meeting held, Members of Parliament inquired about the said project, Minister Kumara Jayakody further stated that, as the pricing of Adani Company’s power project was high, the matter had been referred to the Cabinet for reconsideration. At that time, Indian Adani parent company had sent a letter to the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka informing that they were withdrawing from this project, and accordingly, the Board of Investment had informed the Ministry regarding the same, the minister further said. However, discussions regarding the wind power project were held with the representative institution of Adani in Sri Lanka, and thus, that institution had been informed to consider this matter, the Minister pointed out. Therefore, the Minister stated that a response regarding this matter is expected within two weeks following the letter that was sent.
He further emphasized that only if a negative response is received within these two weeks it will be necessary to move toward an alternative. Additionally, he stated that in the future, such projects will only be carried out through government-to-government (G2G) agreements and competitive procurement.Furthermore, attention was also drawn regarding the steps taken to fill the existing vacancies in the Ceylon Electricity Board, including for engineers. The officials present pointed out that during the period of economic crisis, many engineers had migrated overseas, creating vacancies. However, they further noted that Cabinet approval had recently been obtained to fill these vacancies under three phases, and recruitment for the first batch is currently underway.
Moreover, discussions were held regarding unexpected power outages, with officials highlighting that even minor fluctuations in the system have the potential to destabilize it. Therefore, they stated that efforts are currently being made to maintain system stability by utilizing other energy sources such as solar power. Additionally, attention was drawn to the inadequate maintenance of streetlights, and the Committee emphasized the necessity for local government institutions and the Electricity Board to work together on this matter. Particularly, as this is a nationally essential issue, the Committee suggested that local government institutions and the Electricity Board should engage in discussions. Moreover, the Minister stated that a policy on this matter will be formulated and finalized within two months.
