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What is the News?
The Sri Lankan Government has cleared a Chinese project to set up hybrid wind and solar energy projects on three Sri Lankan islands.
Note: This development comes after Sri Lanka had recently decided to pull out of the East Container Terminal(ECT) deal with India and Japan.
About the Project:
- China’s hybrid renewable energy systems project is to be constructed on the three Islands namely Delft, Nainativu, and Analativu.
- These islands are managed by the Sri Lankan Navy.
- It will be implemented as a joint venture between the Sri Lankan government and Etechwin, a subsidiary of the Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Gold wind.
- Funding: Asian Development Bank will fund the project.
Concerns of India:
- These three Islands are located off the northern Jaffna peninsula which is 45 km from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.
- The delft island is in northern Sri Lanka and is one of the closest points to India.
- Kachchatheevu is the tiny island that India ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974. It is located Between Delft Island and Rameshwaram.
- The waters around these islands are an area of contest and rivalry between Tamil Nadu and Jaffna fishers. The matter has been on the bilateral agenda for decades.
Previous Instances:
- In 2018, India had voiced concern over China’s $300 million housing project for war-affected areas. It accused the Sri Lankan Government of holding an opaque bidding process. The project was eventually dropped.
Source: The Hindu
