Samagi Jana Balawegaya Parliamentarian Mujibur Rahman delivered an emotional speech in Parliament on the 7th, making serious allegations regarding seven renewable energy projects. He claimed that the current government had awarded these projects without calling for tenders and that a massive financial fraud had taken place.
However, even a cursory review shows that his claim about the projects being awarded without any tender process does not align with another part of his own statement. He himself acknowledged that an Expression of Interest (EOI) was called for these projects in 2021.
Calling for Expressions of Interest from private sector investors to implement a project is a process different from a conventional tender, but it is still conducted in accordance with procurement guidelines. In the case of the projects referred to by the MP, the procedure was as follows.
To implement these renewable energy projects, an EOI was called from private sector investors through a government gazette notification on 24 September 2021. A total of 533 institutions submitted proposals. A high level official committee appointed by the Cabinet evaluated these proposals and selected 49 investors in the initial round.
Accordingly, the selection of these 49 investors did not take place after the current government came into power, nor was it based on anyone’s personal preference or influence. Furthermore, after the National People’s Power government assumed office in 2024, the question of whether projects implemented through the EOI method complied with procurement procedures was reviewed. The Ministry of Power and Energy referred the matter to the National Procurement Commission and the Attorney General for their advice. Both institutions concluded that projects implemented under the 2021 EOI process were in compliance with procurement guidelines.
The allegation made by MP Mujibur Rahman that the government is attempting to grant approvals for these projects to only a few among the 49 selected investors is also incorrect. Fundamentally, a renewable energy project requires suitable land, sufficient for installing solar panels or turbines. In addition, approvals must be obtained from around 20 state institutions in accordance with government regulations. Environmental assessments and feasibility studies must be conducted. Moreover, the national grid must have the capacity to absorb the generated electricity, or capacity must be developed if it does not.
By a letter dated 1 December 2025, the Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy informed that energy permits should be issued to seven companies that had fulfilled all these requirements. This was not, as the MP suggests, the result of anyone’s choice or influence, but simply because those seven companies completed the necessary requirements swiftly. Projects of companies that have not yet met the requirements remain pending, and they too will receive the relevant permits once they comply. This is not a matter that warrants sensationalism.
There is also another important aspect. A key factor in renewable energy projects is the ability to connect generated electricity to the national grid. It is widely known in the sector that certain companies that currently maintain a form of monopoly in the renewable energy field wish to keep grid connection capacity vacant until they themselves fulfill the requirements to implement their own projects. To achieve this, they obstruct other companies while providing misleading information to both the government and the opposition.
Therefore, it appears that MP Mujibur Rahman may have knowingly or unknowingly fallen into the influence of these companies that maintain a monopoly in the renewable energy sector and obstruct others, thereby serving their interests. Rather than using parliamentary privileges to spread false information about projects vital to the country, it is important to carefully examine facts before speaking on such matters. Otherwise, it gives the impression that parliamentary time is being wasted under the cover of privilege while fulfilling someone else’s agenda.
