News

Turkey indicates readiness to assist Lanka’s renewable energy sector

Published

2 years ago

2021/03/11

Sahan Weerasooriya

Minister Alahapperuma and the Turkish Ambassador

By Ifham Nizam

The Turkish government was ready to support President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Vision of Prosperity’s National Power Plan to generate 70 per cent of electricity through renewable sources and to replace diesel power plants that were literally burning the economy of Sri Lanka, a top diplomat said yesterday.

Turkish Ambassador Demet Sekercioglu, who met Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, assured that her country would help the Sri Lankan government to achieve President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s visionary target.

The Power Minister and the Turkish Ambassador had a discussion on the future planning and development strategies of the Sri Lankan power sector during the meeting aimed at enhancing the long standing diplomatic relations and friendship between the two countries.

Minister Alahapperuma said that the contribution of green and renewable energy to the national power grid would be increased to 70 per cent and the diesel power generation would be reduced to five per cent by 2025

Diesel power would be done away with by 2030, the Minister said, adding that plans were afoot to develop existing renewable energy sources and explore new one with the help of the private sector.

The Turkish Ambassador said that her country intended to provide technical assistance for the development of renewable energy for the betterment of the power sector here and to draw the attention of both public and private sector investors in Turkey to opportunities in Sri Lanka for establishment of new renewable energy projects.

Wasantha Perera, Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy also participated in this official discussion.

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News

Stay on course and don’t go back to the past – Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Published

6 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

Former Governor of the Central Bank delivering the keynote address at a high profile Webinar hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (24) said that Sri Lanka must implement the structural reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without relaxing like in the past or else we will be in a deeper economic mess.

The webinar was titled ‘What is next for Sri Lanka in the wake of the IMF programme’

News

Sustainable economic development goals cannot be achieved unless attention is paid to mitigating climate change – Sagala Ratnayake

Published

6 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake said sustainable economic development goals cannot be accomplished without taking steps to mitigate climate change.

He said this while participating in the 10,000 sapling planting program organized by the LEO Youth Vision 2048 Club and the LEO Club at the Royal College, Colombo on Thursday (23rd).

This program was organized in view of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s birthday, which is today (24), and the required plants were distributed to the main schools of the Colombo District.

News

SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

Published

18 hours ago

2023/03/24

Thilina Walpola

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”