Sri Lanka’s Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA), part of the country’s Ministry of Power, Energy and Business Development, has floated two expressions of interests (EoIs) for domestic and foreign companies to develop solar projects of 10 MW capacity with 20% energy storage systems (ESS). The projects will be developed under a joint venture with the SEA at the Hambantota Solar Energy Park.

Bidders are expected to provide the financial and technical capability for the development of the project as part of the bid. The projects are expected to be commissioned within six months.

The SEA has arranged land and other approvals (up to the signing of the power purchase agreement) for the solar power projects. Further, the project will be approved under a feed-in-tariff mechanism.

Developers are also expected to mention the maximum percentage of revenue share (minimum 20%) they are prepared to offer the SEA as its partner. The responsibility of generating maximum energy from each project and using IEC/SEA approved equipment lies with the developer.

The submission deadline for the EoI is October 15, 2019.

Back in March 2019, the Sri Lankan government approved 100 MW of floating solar power projects in Maduru Oya reservoir in Mahaweli Economic Zone.

Around the same time, Sri Lanka also announced that it would develop 28 small solar power projects in its north-central and eastern regions.

The Sri Lankan government also signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) wherein the bank would loan the country $50 million to help develop rooftop solar projects. The goal of this program is to support the government’s “Battle for Solar Power Program” to achieve the target of installing solar projects worth 200 MW by 2020 and 1,000 MW by 2025.

Shaurya is a staff reporter at MercomIndia.com with experience working in the Indian solar energy industry for the past four years in various roles. Prior to joining Mercom, Shaurya worked with a renewable energy developer and a consulting company. Shaurya holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.