Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to inaugurate Sri Lankan hydropower and irrigation project

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has arrived in Sri Lanka to inaugurate a hydropower and irrigation project that was long delayed due to international sanctions on his government and other issues. The project, valued at $514 million, was started in 2010 by an Iranian engineering group and Iran initially provided $50 million. But in 2013, funding could not be continued because of international sanctions against Iran. The Sri Lankan government then decided to complete the project with its own funds using the same Iranian contractor. The project was scheduled for completion in 2015 but was delayed by the sanctions, technical issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. It will generate electricity and irrigate more than 11,000 acres of new land.