Mannar’s Wind Power Dispute
Historical Context
The wind power controversy in Mannar exists within a broader context of post-war development in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. Since 2014, the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority has designated areas of Mannar Island as an ‘Energy Development Area’, whilst the Urban Development Authority has rezoned portions as an ‘Industrial Area’ to support fisheries, tourism, and wind parks. These decisions were made by central government bodies without meaningful consultation with local communities, who have historically inhabited and relied upon these lands.
Cabinet approval was granted in 2022 to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Adani Green Energy Limited of India for developing wind power stations in Mannar, just three months after its application. By February 2023, Adani Green Energy received provisional approval for two wind power projects: one with a capacity of 250 MW in Mannar and another with 234 MW in Pooneryn. The proposed project site in Mannar covered 250 acres in an environmentally sensitive area.
The Thambapavani Wind Farm, Phase I of the Mannar Wind Farm project, erected 30 wind turbines along the southern coast of Mannar in 2021. The Asian Development Bank reportedly funded this project. Following this, two additional phases were proposed: a 20-megawatt Windscape Mannar project and a 50-megawatt Hayleys Fentons project, scheduled to begin in December 2025 and December 2026, respectively.
The process underlying approval raised concerns. The Board of Investment green-lit Adani’s involvement despite criminal allegations against the company. An Environmental Impact Assessment report was produced in January 2024, with the government acquiring 201.98 hectares of mostly privately owned land. However, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka refused approval in June 2024, citing inadequate information from the Ceylon Electricity Board.
Present Situation
The conflict began in January 2025 when residents expressed outrage after trees vital to the coastal ecosystem were uprooted during road reconstruction for a wind power project. The Mannar Citizens’ Committee and local clergy intervened to stop the work. The project, led by Adani Green Energy Sri Lanka, had already raised concerns about its impact on migratory bird routes along the Central Asian Flyway and dunes that protect the coast.
By July, Fr. Marcus Adigalar warned that mass protests would erupt if authorities continued ignoring local opposition. Five additional turbines were planned atop the 30 already built. He called for construction to halt and the proposed turbines to be relocated.
August brought confrontation. On August 6th, a convoy carrying wind turbine components entered Mannar under police protection in the early hours. Residents had been protesting for days, with shops closing in solidarity. Police cleared the path, intimidating protesters. Tamil parliamentarians raised the matter with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, calling the situation an emergency.
Neighbouring Vavuniya showed support on August 13th, forming a human chain. Protesters warned the projects threatened livelihoods and noted existing turbines had already caused reduced fish access, disrupted breeding patterns, flooding, groundwater salinisation, and bird fatalities. They cautioned that the planned extraction of ilmenite and thorium could make the island uninhabitable.
Two days later, President Dissanayake agreed to suspend construction of two wind plants for one month following a meeting with protest representatives and religious leaders. He acknowledged prior failures to implement environmental recommendations and emphasised that no further work would proceed without Central Environmental Authority assessments.
The protests continued. By 23rd September, they had reached 50 consecutive days. Youth led the campaign, joined by villagers across the district. Two youths from Mullivaikkal completed a solidarity march to Mannar in solidarity. On 26th September, when the one-month halt expired at 10 p.m., demonstrators blocked new convoys. Police and Special Task Force personnel responded with force, beating protesters with batons, threatening them at gunpoint, and trampling women. Several were hospitalised. Witnesses reported that priests attempting to shield parishioners were also struck.
The next day, Mannar came to a standstill with a general strike. Thousands participated. Shops remained shuttered, fishermen stayed ashore, and private transport halted. Crowds marched from the Public Playground through the town, condemning both the violence and the project itself.
Tamil National Party leader N. Srikantha described the assault as “a brutal manifestation of state terror,” arguing that if the government deemed the protest illegal, arrests should have been made through legal means, not violence.
A countercurrent emerged in October. A group of youth demonstrated in front of the Mannar District Secretariat under the banner “Mannar Needs the Wind Power Plant,” submitting a memorandum in support. Locals reported suspicions that participants had been hired with promises of food and money.
Tensions continued to flare. In early October, residents of Pesalai drove away a team conducting a sand survey for a proposed wind power project, confronting workers who had arrived with machinery. Police were deployed, leading to heated arguments between officers and protesters.
The Bishop of Mannar, Gnanapragasam Anthonypillai, spoke out on 13th October, stating that the decision to establish 14 wind farms was made unilaterally by Colombo. He had met with President Dissanayake three times to convey public objections. The Federation of Community-Based Organisations in Mannar wrote to the president condemning what it called an “undemocratic decision” to proceed without proper consultation, warning that the actions violated fundamental rights and ran contrary to democratic governance.
After more than 80 days of continuous demonstrations, a breakthrough came in November. President Dissanayake ordered the termination of all new wind power projects on Mannar Island, instructing that no future developments proceed without the consent of residents. The Thambapavani wind power plant, operational since 2021, would continue, but the two new projects were halted.
On 18th November, after 105 days, the protest ended. Markus Adikalar, leader of the Mannar Citizens’ Forum, announced the decision to suspend the campaign in anticipation of promised government action. The Bishop of Mannar joined him at the final briefing, alongside long-time participants and community representatives.
Unfortunately, just months after President Dissanayake ordered the halt of new wind power projects on Mannar Island following over 100 days of community protests, his government unexpectedly launched a 50MW wind power project on 15th January 2026. This project, developed by Hayleys Fentons Limited, was one of the two initiatives at the centre of the dispute. It comprises 10 turbines expected to generate 207 million kilowatt-hours annually. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody heralded the plant as a milestone in Sri Lanka’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with electricity supplied at what officials described as one of the lowest wind power tariffs the country has secured. For the communities of Mannar, who suspended their protests in November under the promise that the government would honour its commitments, this launch will serve as a crucial test of whether those assurances reflected genuine consultation or were merely a pause before resuming business as usual.
References
https://www.cpalanka.org/the-intersectional-trends-of-land-conflicts-in-sri-lanka/
https://www.tamilguardian.com/index.php/content/vavuniya-human-chain-protest-backs-mannar-satyagraha-against-wind-power-and-mining
https://www.tamilguardian.com/index.php/content/protests-continue-mannar-wind-power-project-enters-second-phase
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/mannar-protest-against-wind-towers-and-sand-mining-enters-17th-day
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/mullivaikkal-youths-complete-solidarity-march-mannar-against-wind-project
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/mannar-protest-against-wind-turbines-and-sand-mining-reaches-50th-day
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/tnp-leader-condemns-state-violence-against-mannar-protesters
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/hired-protesters-exposed-mannar-wind-power-demonstration
Last update – March 2026