Handing over of first payment for hybrid power projects in Delft, Nainativu, and Analaitivu islands

The first payment towards the implementation of hybrid power projects in three islands off Jaffna was handed over by the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha to Power and Energy Ministry Secretary Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena and Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) Chairman Ranjith Sepala at a ceremony held at the High Commission on Wednesday (28). 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the hybrid renewable energy projects in the Delft, Nainativu, and Analaitivu islands was signed between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in March 2022, and the contract for the project implementation was subsequently signed by the SLSEA with M/s. U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions Ltd. on 1 March 2024. 

The project, aimed at addressing the energy needs of the people of the three islands which are not connected to the national grid, will combine various forms of energy including both solar and wind, towards optimising capacities.

Initial work has commenced at the three sites, and the project is scheduled to be completed by early-March 2025 and handed over by late-April 2025.

The project is being implemented under a grant assistance of $ 11 million from the Government of India and reaffirms India’s commitment to the bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, as well as the human-centric nature of India’s development partnership initiatives in Sri Lanka.