• “NFE Sri Lanka Power Holdings” had been registered in the USA. The Cabinet has been completely misled due to this act”
• Government failed to present the agreement in Parliament despite repeated requests

 By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera

The Government had signed the agreement with regard to the Yugadhanavi Power Plant with a Company called “NFE Sri Lanka Power Holdings” a Holding Company affiliated to the New Fortress Energy, going against the Cabinet approval, National People’s Power MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake revealed yesterday. 

He told Parliament that the Cabinet approval was obtained to sign the agreement with the US based New Fortress Energy Company and said however, the agreement has been signed with “NFE Sri Lanka Power Holdings” a Holding company affiliated with NFE.

He said that “NFE Sri Lanka Power Holdings” had been registered in the USA. “The Cabinet has been completely misled due to this act,” he said. 

The MP said the Government failed to present the agreement in Parliament despite repeated requests and said he was tabling it in Parliament.

“I requested the subject minister to present the agreement in Parliament a couple of weeks ago and he assured the House to present it in Parliament the following week. But, he failed to do so. I am presenting the agreement which was signed in secret without revealing it to the Cabinet, Parliament and the country so that all the MPs and the country could know it,” he said.

Mr. Dissanayake said according to clause 13.1 of the agreement, the content of the agreement could not be revealed without the consent of the US Company until two years.

“How can they include such a clause. People have a right to know any agreement signed with regard to public property,” he said.

The MP also said according to clause 13.2 of the agreement, when signing future agreements, they should be signed with loyalty to the US Company. “Now, it is clear why this agreement was kept secret. It was not revealed even when we requested it under RTI,” he said.