The Indian group Adani has announced to give up a $ 442 million (approximately 424 million euros) wind farm project in Sri Lanka following the government’s decision “Renegotiate” The agreement, according to documents consulted Thursday by AFP.
The Sri Lanka Investment Council (BOI) said it had received a letter from Adani Green Energy Limited on Wednesday indicating that he had decided to “Rely respectfully” of this project.
A BOI official told AFP that the government has not yet responded to this letter and a spokesperson for the Conglomerate Adani said that he would make a declaration on Thursday.
This decision comes a few weeks after the Sri Lankan government’s cancellation of an electricity purchase agreement with Adani Group in order to reassess the drop in prices.
President Dissanayake, elected in September, promised to eradicate corruption, accelerating the current legal proceedings and repatriating the questionable assets placed abroad.
He had strongly criticized the agreement concluded with the Indian group due to suspicions of corruption and wanted his renegotiation.
Adani told the Boi that he had already spent about $ 5 million in “Pre-development activities” From this 484 megawatts power plant which was to be created on the northwest coast of Sri Lanka.
“We remain available”
“While we are withdrawing, we want to reaffirm that we remain available so that the Sri Lankan government allows us to seize any development opportunity,” added the conglomerate.
At the end of November, the island had opened an investigation into investments made on its soil by the Adani group after the indictment for the corruption of its CEO by the American justice.
Le présiddent du Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake, À Colombo, Le 21 Novembre 2024 / Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP / Archives
In May 2024, the previous Sri Lankan government had signed a 20 -year agreement to buy electricity at a price of $ 0.0826 per kilowatt at the future wind farm.
Last January, the government canceled it and decided to reassess the wind farm project.
The party currently in power had strongly criticized him when he was in the opposition believing that other more modest renewable energy projects would make it possible to buy electricity at a much lower price than that proposed by the Conglomerate Adani .
The farm construction project has also been procedure before the Supreme Court for environmental issues.
The Gautam Adani energy tycoon was prosecuted in the United States on November 19, where it is suspected of being involved in the payment of bribes to Indian officials in exchange for the energy sector Solar in India, to the detriment of American investors.
The group denied these accusations “Based” and promised to challenge them in court.
Its commercial empire covers activities such as coal, airports, cement and the media.
The conglomerate was the first foreign investor to return to Sri Lanka after an unprecedented economic crisis in 2022.
The wind farm project had been approved in February 2023 but was blocked due to legal action.
(Tagstotranslate) Depeches