India Hands Over First Payment for Hybrid Power Projects in Sri Lanka’s Northern Islands

High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, on Thursday handed over the first payment for the Hybrid Power Projects aimed at addressing energy needs in Delft, Nainativu, and Analaitivu islands. The Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka confirmed this in a statement.

The payment was handed over to Sulakshana Jayawardena, Secretary of the Ministry of Power and Energy and Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA). These projects are intended to provide energy to the three islands, which are currently not connected to the national grid. India is providing USD 11 million in assistance for this initiative.

Earlier, on August 23, Jha visited Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, where he met with Governor Senthil Thondaman and State Minister of Trade and Environment S. Viyalendiran. They discussed various planned and ongoing projects in the province under Indian assistance. The Indian Embassy, in a post on X, shared that the discussions also included views on recent political developments in Sri Lanka.

During his visit to the Eastern Province, Jha interacted with representatives of the Batticaloa District Chamber of Commerce and the Batticaloa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, advising them on ways to enhance business-to-business (B2B) engagement with India.

On August 21, Jha reviewed the progress of the Tri-lingual Multi-ethnic School being constructed in Polonnaruwa, a High Impact Community Development Project under Indian grant assistance. The following day, he distributed solar lanterns to beneficiaries of houses built with Indian grant assistance at Pitakanda, Rattotta Estate, reaffirming India’s commitment to improving the lives of the Indian-origin Tamil (IOT) community in Sri Lanka’s plantation regions.