By Chetan Perera The Government is to expedite a proposed floating solar power project and work on the project is scheduled to commence in November this year. After completion, it is estimated to produce 100 megawatts of power. The project had initially been proposed in the year 2017. The new plans received the approval of President Maithripala Sirisena and Minister of Power and Renewable Energy Ravi Karunanayake earlier this week. The project is to be implemented on the Maduru Oya reservoir on the border of the Eastern Province. Minister Karunanayake indicated that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) was reluctant to engage with the project as the economic costs would be higher than with current methods of power generation. The sustainable energy venture was proposed by the Canadian Government in collaboration with the Canadian Solar Institute. The project would be a government-to-government project between the Canadian and Sri Lankan Governments. The Minister also remarked that there are more wind and solar power projects in the pipeline that were pending Cabinet approval. He went on to say that “the process is going at a snail’s pace and needed to be sped up”.