Sri Lanka to develop southern city with Chinese assistance

By APD writer Easwaran Rutnam

**COLOMBO, Nov. 13 (APD) ** – Sri Lanka on Monday said that it will develop a key southern city with Chinese assistance.

Education Minister Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament the country will develop with international assistance.

The Minister said that while Chinese assistance has been sought to develop the southern Hambantota city, Indian and Japanese assistance has been sought to develop Trincomalee in the east.

Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de silva said that discussions are already underway to construct a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plant in Hambantota to develop the power sector in the country.

The 400 Mw LNG power plant in Hambantota is to be implemented as a combined project by China Machinery Engineering Corporation and Sri Lanka’s Electricity Board.

China has already heavily invested in Hambantota through a port an international airport and a proposed economic zone.

In August Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that steps had been taken to have two LNG plants in the country with the assistance of India and Japan.

He said the third LNG power plant was likely to have Chinese involvement while tenders had also been called for a fourth LNG plant.

“If all this is successful we will have four LNG power plants established at the same time,” he said.

Sri Lanka has been suffering from power cuts in recent times as it depends heavily on hydropower and coal power.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)