ADB, SL sign agreement on $ 100 m loan for power sector reforms

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Sri Lanka on Monday signed a loan agreement for $ 100 million for subprogram 1 of a policy-based loan (PBL) to support and facilitate reforms aimed at enhancing the financial sustainability of the power sector in Sri Lanka. 

This loan is part of a broader programmatic approach PBL, consisting of three subprograms totalling $ 300 million, dedicated to transforming the power sector.

Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana and ADB Country Director Takafumi Kadono, signed the agreement.

The Power Sector Reforms and Financial Sustainability Program will complement the International Monetary Fund’s Extended Fund Facility arrangement and bolster the operational efficiency and competitiveness of country’s power sector. The program will help create a conducive environment for private investments, boosting renewable energy development, and modernising power grids.

The program will help the Government undertake institutional reforms in the electricity sector by establishing independent companies with defined functions and support strengthening their corporate governance and financial sustainability. It will support regulatory reforms with the implementation of the new national tariff policy that will improve financial sustainability of the sector through cost-reflective tariffs.

To help accelerate investments in renewable energy, the program will assist multiple initiatives under the renewable energy expansion plans for 2023–2030. The key initiatives include implementing a periodic revision of feed-in tariffs for small power plants and rooftop solar users, facilitating integration of renewable energy projects into the national grid, and effective application of a competitive procurement framework for renewable energy projects. The program will support increased women’s participation in the power sector by developing policies to promote equitable participation of female customers, female entrepreneurs, and women and disadvantaged community groups.

ADB will provide an additional $ 1 million technical assistance grant from its Technical Assistance Special Fund to support program implementation, capacity building of electricity companies, and the development of their business plans and overall power system development plans.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.