President calls for meeting with leaders of govt’s allied parties
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has called for a meeting with the leaders of the government’s allied political parties, the President’s Media Division said in a statement.
The meeting, chaired by President Rajapaksa and Prime
Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, will be at 5.30 p.m. today (October 28) at the
Temple Trees.
The PMD said the focus of the discussion is expected to fall
on the Yugadanavi Power Plant deal with the United States-based New Fortress Energy
Inc. and other related issues.
New Fortress Energy, in a recent statement, revealed that an
agreement was executed with the Sri Lankan government for its investment in
West Coast Power Limited (WCP) – the owner of 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant in
Kerawalapitiya.
The firm said it will acquire a 40% ownership stake in the
WCP and plans to develop a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving, storage
and regasification terminal located off the coast of Colombo.
The leaders of allied parties had previously sought
additional discussions regarding the power plant deal with President Gotabaya
Rajapaksa. In their request, the representatives said the agreement needs to be
revisited and discussed and also that it should be implemented following proper
tender procedure after a formal study.
However, President Rajapaksa responded that it would be more
appropriate to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister and the Finance
Minister first.
Later, at a meeting held on September 23, PM Mahinda
Rajapaksa briefed the political party leaders of the potential consumer
benefits from the operation of the Yugadanavi Power Plant.
In the meantime, the trade unions, signaling a red light to
the government, have warned that they would resort to large-scale strike action
if the agreement with the New Fortress Energy is not scrapped.
The convener of Joint Trade Union Alliance of the Ceylon
Electricity Board (CEB), Ranjan Jayalal said plans are already afoot to launch
a series of protests on November 03 that would ‘leave the country in darkness.’
No comments