The report crucially emphasises the need for strong measures—even proposing a sophisticated radar system to signal when the turbines need to be shut down—to mitigate the effect of the project on Mannar’s rich and diverse birdlife.

This is especially important because “higher bird risk collisions than predicted” have occurred in the adjoining Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB)-run Thamabapawani Wind Power Project, with birds striking the transmission lines, it warns.

The Power and Energy Ministry awarded the construction and operation of the MWWP to Adani Green Energy Sri Lanka Limited (AGESL) as a build, own, and operate (BOO) project. The approximate investment is US$ 420 million