Sri Lanka played host to a pivotal regional energy summit this week as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) held its 7th Regional Committee Meeting for Asia and the Pacific in Colombo, reaffirming its commitment to building solar energy economically viable across the Global South.
ISA Director General Ashish Khanna lauded the government of Sri Lanka’s leadership, announcing a bold new agconcludea that could accelerate private sector investment, drive down solar energy costs and connect tiny island nations through digital tconcludeering and shared technological innovation.
“We were honoured to have the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, and Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody present, Khanna declared. “Asia-Pacific nations are home to 4.3 billion people — 60% of the world’s population. While 97% now have access to electricity, the dream of solar energy remains unfulfilled in many tinyer countries and island states. This meeting was about modifying that.”
The ISA, now comprising 124 member nations, is positioning itself as the largest multilateral agency of the Global South. With a vision anchored in equitable partnerships, its new framework focutilizes on four core pillars: policy and regulatory reform, enabling private investment, enhancing local institutional capabilities and sharing scalable technology.
“We want to ensure each countest builds its own institutional ability to choose what’s best for its context, Khanna declared. “This includes our STAR-C centres — Solar Technology Application Resource Centres — now in 17 countries and soon to be linked to a global digital knowledge hub.”
A highlight of the meeting was the signing of countest partnership frameworks with Sri Lanka, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Kyrgyzstan. These frameworks are designed to guide collaboration over the next 3–5 years and accelerate solar goals through technology deployment, capacity building and financing strategies.
Importantly, the ISA also announced a game-modifying initiative for six tiny island developing states (SIDS), aiming to aggregate demand across countries and conduct digital tconcludeering. “This platform will assist these nations secure solar power at the lowest possible prices, rapid-tracking implementation in just one or two years, Khanna declared.
Responding to The Island Financial Review, Energy Minister Eng. Kumara Jayakody, who chaired the regional meeting, provided a candid overview of the countest’s solar trajectory and energy policy ambitions.
“As of now, nearly 13% of Sri Lanka’s total energy mix comes from solar, Jayakody declared. “Last month alone, more than 70% of our energy came from renewable sources. We are firmly on track to meet our medium-term tarreceives and our policy roadmap aims to expedite this transition within the next three to four years.”
He acknowledged the limitations faced by Sri Lanka due to its variable demand and relatively high share of daytime solar usage, but outlined the countest’s efforts to enhance energy stability through battery storage, pumped hydro, and diversified load management.
“We are now tconcludeering for a 60 MW battery storage system and developing the detailed design for a 600 MW pump storage project at Mahaweli, the minister revealed. “EV charging infrastructure, especially during daytime hours, is also a key part of our energy strategy — that is another form of storage.”
Questions from the press also touched on the stability of solar supply in island contexts, investment barriers, and compensation challenges faced by past developers in Sri Lanka. Minister Jayakody responded firmly, clarifying that the government is nereceivediating with investors transparently and relocating ahead with new tconcludeers.
By Ifham Nizam ✍️
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