Sri Lanka seeks US assistance in renewable energy sector amid review of India’s Adani deal
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s new Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody has sought assistance from the United States to develop the renewable energy sector in the island nation, his ministry said in a statement.
The move comes after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government promised to review India’s Adani renewable energy deal following the US indictment of some top officials of the Indian company on multiple counts of fraud.
Minister Jayakody sought assistance on Monday (9) when he met the US Ambassador Julie Chung to discuss “ways to enhance cooperation in the power sector between the two countries”.
In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry said the Ambassador had said the US government was also ready to provide technical and other assistance to Sri Lanka’s power sector.
“Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakodi explained the new government’s energy policy and vision for energy and expressed his expectation of the US government’s support for the renewable energy sector in the country,” the statement added.
The US has been promoting sustainable energy in Sri Lanka and has backed several projects. It has also provided technical assistance to help further develop Sri Lanka’s electric vehicle sector and a $19 million, 5-year energy program to support Sri Lanka’s vision to increase renewable energy generation to 70% by 2030. The aim is to support Sri Lanka’s transition into a cleaner energy-generating nation.
The meeting with the US envoy came nearly three weeks after the Federal prosecutors in New York indicted the top eight officials of India’s Adani Group, including Group Chairman Gautam Adani on multiple counts of fraud.
Adani had proposed setting up 500MW of wind plants in Sri Lanka’s Northern Mannar and Pooneryn. An energy permit was approved by Sri Lanka’s Sustainable Energy Authority for the Pooneryn plant for 234MW as well in February this year.
The new government has promised to review all Adani projects while environmentalists and the Bishop of Mannar have sought legal action saying that the plants are disrupting a migrant bird route and that the price paid for power generated by the project is too high.
-economynext.com
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