India handed over the first payment towards the implementation of Hybrid Power Projects in three islands of Jaffna to the Sri Lankan government on Thursday.

Indian envoy to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha handed over the 'first payment' to Sulakshana Jayawardena, Secretary, Minister of Power and Energy, and Chairman of Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) Ranjith Sepala at a ceremony held at the High Commission on 28 August 2024.

"A Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the hybrid renewable energy projects in Delft, Nainativu and Analaitivu islands was signed between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in March 2022, and subsequently contract for the project implementation was signed by SLSEA with M/s. U Solar Clean Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd on 01 March 2024," read a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka.

The project, aimed at addressing energy needs of the people of the three islands which are not connected to the national grid, will combine various forms of energy including both solar and wind, towards optimizing capacities.

Initial work has commenced at the three sites, and the project is scheduled to be completed by early-March 2025 and handed over by late-April 2025.

The project is being implemented under grant assistance of USD 11 million from the Government of India and reaffirms India’s commitment to the bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, as well as the human-centric nature of India’s development partnership initiatives in Sri Lanka.