The Mannar wind power project is under fire as local investors claim they’ve been deliberately excluded through restrictive tender conditions. Industry insiders allege the Ceylon Electricity Board and Power Ministry are favoring foreign firms, raising serious questions about transparency and national interest in Sri Lanka’s renewable energy development.
Local investors have been systematically blocked from participating in the highly anticipated Mannar wind power project, despite tenders being publicly announced for two 50MW wind power plants in the Mullikulam area of Mannar.
Sources within the energy sector allege that both the Ministry of Power and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) have created conditions that effectively exclude local companies from successfully bidding on the project. While both foreign and local investors were invited to apply, the specific technical criteria outlined in the tender have made it nearly impossible for domestic firms to qualify.
The tenders require that applicants must have previously designed two separate 50MW wind power plants, and that the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) companies involved must have built at least one 50MW wind plant in another country. These stringent conditions, critics argue, are unrealistic for local firms even those with decades of experience in Sri Lanka’s power sector.
Industry sources claim that this move deliberately favors foreign bidders, undermining local renewable energy capabilities and sidelining Sri Lankan investors with proven track records. Many local firms have previously contributed to successful energy projects but now find themselves disqualified due to restrictive criteria.
This controversy has sparked concerns about foreign domination, transparency, and the missed opportunity to empower Sri Lankan energy entrepreneurs at a time when the country is striving for energy independence and sustainable development.
This is a classic dilemma: you cannot participate without experience, but you cannot gain experience unless you have the opportunity to participate>
Perhaps the government should have insisted that the tender conditions include a clause requiring bidders to have local partners (say to the extent of 30-40% of project scope).
Additionally, there could have been a tender condition that allowed bids from parties that have been minority partners in a project of the specified extent.