PM Modi to visit Sri Lanka on April 5
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the country on April 5.
The announcement was made during his statement in Parliament, according to the news portal Adaderana.lk.
While speaking in Parliament, President Dissanayake also said that Modi will finalise agreements made during his visit to Delhi last year. He also confirmed that the construction of the Sampur power plant in Trincomalee will begin during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit.
Health minister Nalinda Jayathissa said that Sri Lanka and India reached an agreement last month to establish solar power plants in the island nation.
“Consensus has been reached between the government of Sri Lanka and the government of India to establish solar power plants capacity of 50 Megawatt (stage 1) and 70 Megawatt (stage 2) at Sampur in Trincomalee on the basis of construction, ownership, and operation by the Ceylon Electricity Board and National Thermal Power Corporation of India as a joint venture between two governments,” Jayathissa said.
Earlier, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) of India was set to build a coal power plant at the same location. However, the new joint venture will now convert the site into a solar power station.