Despite the 06 months since the agreement was signed for the $3.7 billion Sinopec oil refinery in Hambantota, the project remains stalled due to unresolved disputes over local market access, reports reveal.
The project, signed during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s state visit to Beijing in Jan. 2025, was touted as Sri Lanka’s largest-ever foreign direct investment (FDI) project.
It involves China’s state-owned petroleum giant Sinopec constructing a state-of-the-art refinery with a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day in Hambantota.
According to the media release issued by the President’s Media Division on the occasion of the signing in Jan. 2025, a substantial portion of the refinery’s output was planned for export, further enhancing the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
“This major investment from China is expected to bolster Sri Lanka’s economic growth while uplifting the livelihoods of low-income communities in the Hambantota area. Moreover, the benefits of this project are anticipated to positively impact the overall Sri Lankan population in the near future,” the PMD release further noted.
According to ‘Daily Mirror’, the project has hit a snag over the government imposing a 20% cap on the company’s local sales, despite Sinopec’s demand for unrestricted access to Sri Lanka’s domestic fuel market.
A senior Energy Ministry official, on the condition of anonymity, has confirmed that no agreement has been reached on the market share issue, though discussions are underway to resolve the matter, the report adds.
A special session of the Sri Lankan Parliament will commence at 9:30am today (June 30), presided over by Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, to present the Government’s Mid-Year Fiscal Strategy Statement in accordance with Section 11 of the State Financial Management Act No. 44 of 2024.
As mandated by the Act, the government is required to present its fiscal strategy to Parliament by June 30 each year.
This year’s presentation follows a formal request made by the Prime Minister under Standing Order 16. Following the morning session, a debate on the adjournment motion related to the fiscal strategy will be held until 4:30 pm today.
The Meteorology Department has forecast several spells of showers in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle and Matara districts.
Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night, it said.
The Department also says that fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Trincomalee and Hambantota districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Several senior police officers of the Sri Lanka Police have been transferred and appointed to new positions with immediate effect, the Police Media Division announced.
According to the Police Media Division, these transfers and appointments have been made with the approval of the National Police Commission (NPC).
The officers and their new appointments are as follows:
1. Senior Superintendent of Police C. Gunaratne
Transferred from the position of Director of the Police Cadet Division to the position of Director of the Sri Lanka Police College. He will also continue to cover duties as the Director of the Police Cadet Division.
2. Senior Superintendent of Police B.A.E. Prasanna
Transferred from the position of Officer-in-Charge of the Mount Lavinia Division to the position of Officer-in-Charge of the Kebithigollewa Division.
3. Senior Superintendent of Police A.J. Gunasekara
Transferred from the position of Director of the Bureau for the Investigation of Abuse of Children and Women to the position of Officer-in-Charge of the Mount Lavinia Division.
4. Senior Superintendent of Police H.W.I.S. Muthumala (Female)
Transferred from the position of Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to the position of Director of the Bureau for the Investigation of Abuse of Children and Women.
5. Superintendent of Police G.V.A.K.C. Ariyawansa
Transferred from the position of Director of the Gampola Division to the position of Director of the Central Criminal Investigation Bureau (CCIB).
