Colombo, Sri Lanka – Kanchana Wijesekera, Minister of Power and Energy, announced his departure from the ministry on September 23, 2024, after a successful tenure marked by significant improvements in the country’s energy sector.
Kanchana, in a statement shared on Twitter (now X), revealed that he returned his state vehicles and office, leaving the institutions under his purview in stronger financial health and well-stocked with necessary resources for fuel and power generation.
Wijesekera highlighted the progress made since he took office in 2022, following the mass resignation of the Sri Lankan cabinet amid widespread protests. At the time, Sri Lanka was facing crippling fuel shortages, extended power cuts, and mounting debt within the energy sector. Under his leadership, the Ministry of Power and Energy has now recovered from these challenges, with adequate supplies of petroleum products, coal, and hydroelectric power capacity ensuring uninterrupted fuel and energy supply across the country.
“All the institutes are now on positive balance sheets, recovering costs for services, paying suppliers on time, servicing debt, and contributing additional revenue to the treasury,” Wijesekera wrote. He thanked President Ranil Wickremesinghe, his colleagues, staff, and numerous stakeholders for their support over the past two years.
Does Wijesekera’s departure mark the end of another chapter in Sri Lanka’s efforts to stabilize its energy sector amid economic turmoil?
