World

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi Inaugurates Uma Oya Hydropower Project In Sri Lanka

News On Time Desk 24 April 2024

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi with Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe inaugurated Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP) in the southeastern region of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The USD 514 million hydropower project is expected to produce 290 gigawatt hours of energy annually.

Raisi was received by Sri Lanka PM Dinesh Gunawardena on his arrival. This was the first visit by an Iranian president to Sri Lanka since an April 2008 visit by its then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The UOMDP, designed and built by Iran’s Farab engineering group, cost USD 514 million. Wickremesinghe stated at the inauguration event that the project was implemented using Iranian technology, setting a shining example of technical collaboration between Iran and Sri Lanka.

The primary purpose of the UOMDP is to address water scarcity in Sri Lanka’s southeastern region. It aims to redirect an annual average of 145 million cubic meters of water from the Uma Oya basin, according to Minister of Irrigation Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi. The project will provide water to 4,500 hectares of new land and 1,500 hectares of existing agricultural land.

The project, which commenced in November 2007, was initially funded by the Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) with $50 million. However, due to international sanctions against Iran, EDBI was unable to continue providing funds from 2013. Consequently, the Sri Lankan government decided to proceed with the project using government funds while retaining the services of the Farab company.