Sri Lanka & India Partner for Solar Power Plants in Trincomalee

Colombo, Feb 20 (PTI) Sri Lanka and India have reached an agreement for setting up of solar power plants in the island country's eastern port district of Trincomalee, official spokesman and health minister Nalinda Jayathissa said on Thursday.

"Consensus has been reached between the government of Sri Lanka and the government of India to establish solar power plants capacity of 50 Megawatt (stage 1) and 70 Megawatt (stage 2) at Sampur in Trincomalee on the basis of construction, ownership, and operation by the Ceylon Electricity Board and National Thermal Power Corporation of India as a joint venture between two governments," Jayathissa said.

Earlier, NTPC of India was to construct a coal power plant at the same site. The new joint venture sees it being converted to a solar power station.

Meanwhile, commenting on the Adani Group's decision to pull out of Sri Lanka's green energy project, Jayathissa said the government would be keen to retain the Adani investment solely on the basis of their willingness to renegotiate the purchase price of the project in the northeastern region.

"Our only concern is the purchase price," Jayathissa stressed.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his budget presentation in parliament, said the government had received offers to supply renewable energy from another source lower than the prices quoted by Adani Green Energy.