PM Modi set to travel Sri Lanka on April 5 for major agreement finalization

The head of state of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake confirmed during a Friday announcement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to travel to the country on April 5.During his Parliamentary address President Dissanayake announced that Modi would finalize agreements which were established during his travels to Delhi in 2021.

Ceylon Electricity Board and National Thermal Power Corporation

The Sampur power plant construction in Trincomalee has received confirmation for a start during the upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Modi. The governments of Sri Lanka and India formed an agreement to build solar power plants with 50 Megawatt capacity (stage 1) and 70 Megawatt capacity (stage 2) at Sampur in Trincomalee through a Ceylon Electricity Board and National Thermal Power Corporation of India partnership between both governments,” Jayathissa stated.A coal power plant project at the location was announced by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) of India before. The new joint venture has decided to transform the location into a solar power station after abandoning the original NTPC plan.

 Indian strategic interests

Dissanayake took office in September 2024 before conducting his New Delhi visit in December 2024. The visit between leaders enabled Prime Minister Narendra Modi to host Dissanayake for discussions about enhancing bilateral relations because of expanding Chinese regional power.Modi announced that India and Sri Lanka would build power grid connectivity to enhance their investment and commercial relationships along with creating a multi-product petroleum pipeline. Dissanayake had meetings with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar who served as external affairs minister while Ajit Doval oversaw national security matters. As he spoke to reporters Dissanayake stated that Sri Lanka would operate without actions which would endanger Indian strategic interests.