Tamil objections ignored as Sri Lanka presses ahead with Mannar wind farm

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake laid the foundation stone for a controversial 50-megawatt wind power project in Mannar, despite sustained opposition from Tamils who say the initiative threatens their lands, livelihoods, and environment.

The ceremony, held on Thursday at the Konnayan settlement in Mannar, marked the official launch of the HyWind One Limited wind power project. The project is being implemented by HyWind One Limited, a member of the Hayleys Fentons and The World of Hayleys group, in collaboration with the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board.

The event was attended by Minister of Power and Energy Kumara Jayakody, Northern Province Governor N. Vethanayagan, Deputy Minister of Power and Energy Ilyas Mohamed Ahram, Deputy Minister of Cooperative Services Upali Samarasinghe, Members of Parliament M. Jegatheeswaran and S. Thilaganathan, Mannar District Secretary K. Kanagasewaran, senior Sri Lankan tri-forces officials, and several other government representatives.

According to the organisers, the 50-megawatt wind power project is scheduled to be completed within a period of 18 months.

However, the inauguration has deepened anger among Tamil residents of Mannar, who have repeatedly protested against large-scale renewable energy schemes imposed on the district without local consent. Civil society organisations and community groups have long warned that such projects are being implemented at the expense of Tamil land rights and ecological balance.

Over recent months, several organisations have written to the Sri Lankan president demanding that all wind power initiatives and associated land acquisitions be halted. They argue that vast tracts of coastal land have already been taken over for energy projects, while local farmers and fisherfolk are left without compensation or meaningful consultation.

Community leaders have also highlighted that Mannar is already facing severe restrictions due to extensive gazetting of lands under the Forest Department and the Department of Wildlife Conservation. They say these measures, combined with energy developments, are steadily dispossessing Tamils of traditional agricultural and grazing lands.

Opposition has been particularly strong since earlier attempts to hand over large sections of Mannar’s coastline to foreign companies for wind energy generation. Although previous projects involving the Adani Group were halted after public pressure, residents maintain that new schemes continue the same pattern under different names.

Local activists have pointed out that despite repeated assurances from Dissanayake that no projects would be forced on the people of Mannar, the HyWind One project has proceeded without addressing fundamental concerns. Many fear that the initiative will open the door to further corporate encroachment and environmental degradation.

Tamil political representatives have also warned that the benefits of such projects rarely reach local communities, while profits and resources are extracted from the Tamil homeland for use elsewhere in the island.