President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed that no wind power projects be implemented on Mannar Islandwithout the consent of its residents, Cabinet Spokesman and Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissaannounced yesterday (4).
Addressing the weekly Cabinet media briefing, Minister Jayatissa said that the President’s directive was formally presented to the Cabinet by Power and Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and subsequently received Cabinet approval for implementation.
He explained that, under the National Renewable Energy Resource Development Plan, Mannar Island has been identified as a site with significant wind energy potential. Three projects had been proposed for the region, including the Thambapavani Wind Power Plant, which began operations in 2021.
The other two projects — the Windscape Mannar (Pvt) Ltd 20 MW Wind Power Project and the Hayleys Fentons 50 MW Wind Power Project — were scheduled to commence in December 2025 and December 2026, respectively.
