The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody stated that the National Electricity Policy had undergone an initial 21-day public comment period and that the revised final draft was again open for comments on the ministry website until 19 February, incorporating many earlier submissions. He said the Government was proceeding with renewable energy integration, including a 160 MW Battery Energy Storage System for solar power, with the Letter of Award process begun, and a further 300 MW BESS tender expected within two months. He identified transmission network limitations as the main constraint and said financing and expansion of the network were being prioritized.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, there are two parts. On the National Electricity Policy, 21 days were given for public comments at the first stage. In the second stage, from the 12th, we have placed the final draft again on our website; it is open for comments until the 19th. Many earlier comments have been absorbed into the new draft.
¶ 02 On renewables, for the first time we are proceeding to install a 160 MW Battery Energy Storage System to store solar energy; the Letter of Award process commenced yesterday. We also expect to call a new tender soon for an additional 300 MW of BESS. We are not discouraging renewables. The constraint is the transmission network, which we are prioritizing and seeking financing to expand. This year we will proceed efficiently with the 160 MW BESS, and within the next two months launch the additional 300 MW procurement, with identified lands and preparatory work underway. We are moving this positively, not negatively.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 17 February 2026 ·No. 23279 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 17 February 2026. No. 23279. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/5794