By The Sri Lankan government has agreed to build a 500MW wind power plant in Mannar with India’s Adani Green Energy Limited.
The project will be implemented on a Government-to-Government basis, which means that the Sri Lankan government will not have to go through an open competitive bidding process.
The decision to elevate the project to a Government-to-Government basis was made because the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) does not have the financial resources to raise the US$135 million infrastructure cost.
The CEB has told the Ministry of Power and Energy that most of its revenue has been diverted to priority areas after the economic crisis.
The project is expected to cost US$442 million and will be completed in two phases. The first phase will involve the construction of a 286MW wind power plant in Mannar, while the second phase will involve the construction of a 234MW wind power plant in Pooneryn.
The project is expected to create around 2,000 jobs during construction and 100 jobs during operation.
It is also expected to generate around 1,200GWh of electricity annually, which is enough to power around 300,000 homes.
The decision to award the project to Adani Green Energy Limited has been met with some criticism, with some people alleging that there were irregularities in the procurement process.
However, the government has defended the decision, saying that Adani Green Energy Limited was the only company that submitted a proposal that met all of the technical and financial requirements.
The project is expected to be completed by 2025.
