President Ranil Wickramasinghe said that Sri Lanka will introduce a green economic policy in the next two months as the first country in the region to enter a green economy.
The President stated that it is his hope to bring Sri Lanka to the first place in terms of green economic policy, just as Sri Lanka came to the first place in tea exports.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe mentioned this while addressing the meeting held at the President’s Office yesterday (27) afternoon with the investors who came to Sri Lanka to participate in the Sri Lanka Green Energy Summit.
Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe, who further commented there, also said:
“I welcome all of you who have come to the Green Energy Summit. And I agree to provide facilities to meet your investment needs.
Sri Lanka has two main problems. One of them is debt restructuring. The other is to turn the country towards green energy. The debt restructuring process is currently underway. We need to work quickly to build a green economy in the country. Sri Lanka has every qualification to turn towards a green economy. Because Sri Lanka has the ability to produce energy using solar energy, wind energy, bio gas, as well as sea waves.
Therefore, the green economy can be introduced as the main potential for building the economy.
For that, I take the responsibility of facilitating the local and foreign investors who came to this conference. It is planned to introduce a green economic policy in the next two months. It can be called the first green economic policy in the region.
This gives the investors legitimacy and the government is also bound to provide their facilities. This is not a short-term program. This is a long-term program. Therefore, a legal framework needs to be prepared for this. It is hoped that legislation will be enacted soon.
I welcome you again with great respect as investors to help the country recover using the green economy. And I would also like to thank you. Just as our country became the first country in the world in tea, we hope to bring it to the first place in the world in the green economy.
The reason why Sri Lanka is the first in Asia in this field is because we are able to use our natural resources. All of you are experienced in investing in green energy projects.
We have already discussed bringing the oil pipeline directly from India to Trincomalee, not only through renewable energy, but also through the cooperation of South India.
We have also identified Trincomalee as a potential port for green hydrogen. It is the closest port to the north with most of Sri Lanka’s green hydrogen, renewable energy, wind power. So all this means that development and development opportunities will expand Sri Lanka’s economy. At the same time you invest money and you will get a good return on your investment.”
The investors who came to participate in the Sri Lanka Green Energy Summit expressed their gratitude to President Ranil Wickramasinghe for the care given to them and said that they expect to return to Sri Lanka in the future to invest in the green economy sector.
Honorable President, please follow up your promises with action. If and when we can afford to import vehicles please give priority to electric vehicles. Have a long term plan to do away with fossil fuel driven vehicles by the end of the next century. Lay down infrastructure facilities like roadside charging points perhaps next to
Petrol sheds.