On 15 August 2023, the IKI Small Grants project New solutions for low-emission food production in Sri Lanka welcomed high-level political stakeholders to join their project presentation in Colobo. Many followed their invitation, resulting in a vibrant launching event. In her speech, the Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Mrs. J.M. Thilaka Jayasundara underlined the central role of the implementing organisation, the National Cleaner Production Centre Sri Lanka. he further highlighted that this type of project is most needed and that NCPC is the right organisation to do so. Together with the Minister of Industry, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, the National Director of UNIDO, Assistant Director of IDB, GIZ’s energy advisors from Sri Lanka, selected companies, NCPC board members and employees met for a fruitful launching and subsequent networking event.
Recent events show that the project of IKI Small Grants and NCPC meets current needs: Last year, Sri Lanka was hit hard by a shortage of imported oil, resulting from the global energy crisis. Petrol prices have risen by 300 per cent and electricity tariffs for some sectors by up to 800 per cent, resulting in kilometres long lines of citizens waiting in front of petrol stations.
With its project, NCPC targets small and medium-sized companies that consume a particularly large amount of energy. These companies receive professional advice on energy efficiency over a period of two years. The declared goal is to achieve as many ISO certifications as possible, to reduce emissions and help Sri Lankan companies to move towards a green transition. Within the frame of the launching event, selected companies received official certifications.
These 25 companies were selected out of 115 applicants from a public call for applications and now enjoy the benefits of intensive energy consulting by NCPC throughout the next two years.On top of that, carrying out energy audits in production facilities and use them to identify potential energy savings fits perfectly into the mitigation approach of the International Climate Initiative. The project’s innovative approach has high potential for upscaling in other contexts.