By unusuma.lk on (LK time)
Former Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila claimed that the Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex project, recently highlighted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, was initiated three years ago during his tenure as Energy Minister.
Speaking at a media conference at the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya party headquarters today (20), Gammanpila stated that he signed the agreement for this project on January 6, 2022. He alleged that the National People’s Power (NPP), led by the current President, had strongly opposed the project at the time.
Gammanpila criticized the President for presenting the project as a new initiative by his government. He argued that the groundwork had already been laid in 2022, during his efforts to reclaim the oil tanks, which had been underutilized and decaying for 75 years.
“The President announced in Katukurunda yesterday that the 99 tanks in the Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex exceed Sri Lanka’s storage needs. He stated that 24 tanks would remain with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, 14 tanks used by LIOC would remain with them, and the remaining 61 tanks would be developed as an Indian-Sri Lankan joint venture. But this is not a new initiative.
When I became Energy Minister in 2020, all 99 tanks had been under Indian control since 2002. Of these, 14 tanks were used by LIOC, and two were allocated to Prima for water storage. The remaining 83 tanks were unused for decades. After extensive negotiations, we regained control of these tanks, allowing LIOC to continue using only 14.
This agreement was finalized in 2022, and I even presented the book Oil Tanks Back to the Country in Parliament to document this achievement. If the President had read it, he wouldn’t need to make misleading claims.
The Malima government came to power on false promises and continues to rely on lies. When I was working to reclaim and develop the oil tank complex, they were my biggest obstacle,” Gammanpila stated.
