About the Project:
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The Sri Lankan Government has cleared a Chinese project to set up hybrid wind and solar energy projects on three Sri Lankan islands.
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China’s hybrid renewable energy systems project is to be constructed on the three Islands namely Delft, Nainativu, and Analativu.
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These islands are managed by the Sri Lankan Navy.
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It will be implemented as a joint venture between the Sri Lankan government and Etechwin, a subsidiary of the Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Gold wind.
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Funding: Asian Development Bank will fund the project.
Concerns of India:
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These three Islands are located off the northern Jaffna peninsula which is 45 km from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.
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The delft island is in northern Sri Lanka and is one of the closest points to India.
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Kachchatheevu is the tiny island that India ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974. It is located Between Delft Island and Rameshwaram.
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The waters around these islands are an area of contest and rivalry between Tamil Nadu and Jaffna fishers. The matter has been on the bilateral agenda for decades.