President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Tuesday that the government will bring private investors into power transmission and the East Container Terminal, speaking at the Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit 2026 in Colombo.
The summit was organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at the Shangri-La Hotel. The President said the Puttalam-Wariyapola and Habarana-Veyangoda transmission lines will be built through the private sector, ending the Ceylon Electricity Board’s monopoly on transmission. Tenders for four grid lines will be called soon.
On ports, he said the Cabinet has decided to keep the East Container Terminal in state ownership but set up a company to run it, with shares offered to private investors. The terminal handles about 500,000 containers a year against a capacity of 3.2 million, he said.
The President said the 2027 Budget will plan Rs. 2 trillion in capital spending. The government spent 76% of its capital allocation in 2025, and he said the aim is to bring this close to 100%.
For readers, the changes bear on electricity costs and port services. The President said competition has already lowered solar tender prices to 3.74 US cents a unit.
The State-Owned Enterprises law is due to go to Cabinet in about two weeks, he said.
