PM calls for ‘clean, abundant and universally accessible' solar power

In a call to action for solar cooperation across Asia and the Pacific, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said the 21st century must be led not by fossil fuels, but by the promise of sunlight-"clean, abundant and universally accessible.

- BY IFHAM NIZAM

She was addressing delegates from across the region at the 7th Regional Committee Meeting of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for the Asia and Pacific Regions, held at the ITC Ratnadipa Colombo yesterday. The high-level gathering brought together ministers, diplomats, energy experts and institutional partners to strengthen regional solar energy strategies.

"If the 20th century was defined by fossil fuel, then the 21st century must be led by the promise of sunlight, said Prime Minister Amarasuriya. "This is not merely an alternative-it is an imperative."

Present at the event were the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha, Deputy Minister of Power and Energy Kumar Jayakodi, Deputy Minister Naveer Rathna, Director-General of the ISA Ashish Khanna, and other regional dignitaries. The meeting was marked by the formal exchange of the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) between Sri Lanka and the ISA-a key milestone that will guide collaboration, investments and technology transfer in Sri Lanka's solar sector.