By Nishel Fernando
India’s largest private thermal power operator, Adani Group has secured permission to explore floating solar and off-shore wind power generation potential in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters bordering the Northern Province (NP).
According to the MOU signed between Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL), a unit of Adani Group, and the Sri Lankan State entities last year, Adani is expected to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study into the possibility of generating floating solar and off-shore wind power in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters bordering the Northern Province.

“AGEL will be allowed with prior approvals and permission of the GOSL to explore floating solar and wind facilities in territorial waters of GOSL bordering Northern Province with appropriate commercials and technologies to be established in a detailed feasibility report,” the MOU stated.

However, AGEL was yet to submit any feasibility report to Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) or Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) on the proposed project.

The proposed project is in addition to the 500MW wind and solar power plants proposed by Adani in Mannar and Pooneryn with an investment of US$ 442 million, on 30:70 equity to debt ratio.

According to former CEB Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando, assessment of such off-shore wind power generation projects may become a challenging task for CEB as technologies used for off-shore wind power generation is yet to be utilised in the country. 

Further, some CEB affiliated trade unions accuse the government of handing over a monopoly in wind and solar power generation to Adani, endangering the country’s energy security in the future in particular with talks resurfacing on the proposed India – Sri Lanka HVDC grid interconnection project, which aims to link national grids of India and Sri Lanka.