China has to shut down energy projects on six Sri Lankan islands over India's objections

Colombo, Ta. 3
China has had to suspend its projects on three islands after India objected to China's hybrid energy plants on the Sri Lankan islands. In January, Chinese company Sino Solar Hybrid Technology was awarded a contract to install hybrid alternative energy systems on three islands off the coast of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, Delft, Nagadeep and Analathivu. However, due to the proximity of these three islands to Tamil Nadu, India objected to the project.
After India's objections, China finally confirmed on Wednesday without naming India that the Sino Solar Hybrid Technology project to build a hybrid energy system on three islands north of Sri Lanka has been canceled due to third party security concerns. Instead, China added that it had won a contract on November 9 to set up solar power plants on 12 islands in the Maldives.
According to a NewsFirst.IK report, in early 2021, India had raised a "strong objection" to Sri Lanka against awarding a tender to a Chinese company for the construction of alternative energy power plants at Delft, Nagadip and Analathivu. The contract was awarded as part of the Supporting Electricity Supply Reliability Improvement Project, the report said. The project was implemented by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Last month, months after the Sri Lankan government canceled a tripartite agreement with India and Japan to develop a deep-sea container port, a government-owned China Harbor Engineering Company was awarded a contract to develop the eastern container terminal at Colombo Port. China is one of the largest investors in various infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka under Beijing's controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project. But Sri Lanka has faced strong criticism locally and internationally, and concerns are mounting that China is slipping into debt.
Sri Lanka had to hand over the strategically important port of Hambantota to a state-owned Chinese company on a five-year lease in 2013 to pay off a debt of US ૨ 1.2 billion.