Yugadanavi deal to be discussed at Cabinet
The meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers scheduled to be held today (13) will focus more attention on the foreign exchange reserves crisis.
Finance Ministry Secretary Sajith Attygalle and Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal will also be summoned to the Cabinet meeting today, Government sources said.
This is the first meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers since the Government’s Budget for 2022 was passed in Parliament on Friday. Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena confirmed to the Daily News that the agreement on the Yugadanavi power plant is also expected to be taken up for discussion today.
The Finance Ministry will brief the Cabinet of Ministers on the issue concerning the Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya.
According to reports, the Cabinet is to be briefed on the agreement signed with New Fortress Energy to transfer shares in West Coast Power Limited (WCP) – the owner of the 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant to the US-based company.
However, on Friday, during the last day of the Budget 2022, the power sector transaction took a different turn with JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake tabling a fresh document in Parliament that the agreement was signed not with New Fortress Energy but with another US based company-NFE Sri Lanka Power Holdings LLC. The Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed against the Yugadanavi Power Plant deal have been fixed for consideration on December 16 and 17 by the Supreme Court.
The FR petitions were put forward by Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Ven.Elle Gunawansa Thera, Samagi Jana Balawegaya, Sunil Handunnetti and Wasantha Samarasinghe of the JVP and a group including Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka Thera, Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara and Dr. Wasantha Bandara.
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