Sri Lanka: challenges and promises of transitioning away from fossil fuels

Promoting the transition away from global-warming-causing fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy is a key area where the EU and Japan can realize the goals set forth in their 2019 agreement for promoting sustainable connectivity.

The case of Sri Lanka highlights the great potential for cooperation between these two partners in aiding others with energy transition. They can help Sri Lanka realize its ambitious climate goals, especially achieving 70% reliance on renewably generated electricity by 2030, and 100% carbon neutrality in energy by 2050.

Sri Lanka’s climate goals were dealt a blow by their recent financial crisis, a crisis that was worsened by this country’s heavy dependence on imported energy. Petroleum is Sri Lanka’s number one import, more than twice the value of its number two import. Helping Sri Lanka achieve its climate goals will also help it realize energy independence and sustainability, which will help prevent a repetition of its recent financial crisis.

The EU and Japan can help Sri Lanka achieve its climate goals by pooling their expertise in several areas. In terms of supply, they can help Sri Lank develop its considerable offshore wind energy resources.

More crucially, they can help Sri Lanka develop smart grids to manage electricity demand to better match the supply patterns of wind and solar power, and they can aid the development of electricity storage infrastructure, including grid batteries and EVs, to store excess solar and wind power for use when the sun does not shine, and the wind does not blow.

Paul Midford is Professor of Political Science in the Department of Global and Transcultural Studies, Faculty of International Studies, at Meiji Gakuin University. His latest books include Overcoming Isolationism Japan’s Leadership in East Asian Security Multilateralism (Stanford University Press, 2020) and The Senkaku Island Confrontation and the Transformation of Japanese Defense (Palgrave, forthcoming).