Cargills partners with USAID Sri Lanka Energy Program

Sukitha Arangallage, Head of Sustainability, Cargills (Ceylon) PLC with Rick Whitaker, Chief of Party, the USAID Sri Lanka Energy Program

In support of Sri Lanka’s transition to E-mobility, Cargills and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Sri Lanka Energy Program signed a grant agreement to pioneer electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across multiple Cargills Food City locations in Colombo. The grant is for a pilot project for renewable energy powered charging stations for electric three-wheelers/two-wheelers through the nation’s largest supermarket chain.

This new and timely initiative will further enhance the value that Cargills creates for the community, as the wider goals for the project include empowering women into the energy sector workforce and up- skilling youth in energy sector jobs and jobs that are linked to the uptake of EVs in Sri Lanka. Cargills, as a leading corporate, has continued to nurture local producers and entrepreneurs, while creating value for customers and investing in communities across the country, with the purpose of serving Sri Lanka.

The EV charging stations will be made available at six Cargills Food City outlets located in the Colombo District, at Bloemendhal Road, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Green Path, Duplication Road, Norris Canal Road and Dematagoda, making Cargills the first supermarket chain in Sri Lanka to offer an EV charging infrastructure in multiple retail locations.

The charging units will be supplied by ChargeNET, a leading supplier of EV charging infrastructure in the country.

Sri Lanka’s high dependence on non-renewable energy, which is predominantly powered by fossil fuels that are imported, has highlighted the urgent need for sustainable clean energy solutions that can create a positive impact in the country.

Therefore, the USAID Sri Lanka Energy Program has identified the development and implementation of renewable energy powered EV charging stations as a much needed infrastructure support to advance E-mobility in the country.

Whilst catering to all types of EVs, the charging stations will be used to power E-two-wheelers and E-three-wheelers that are widely used for passenger transport, domestic goods transportation, and play a crucial role in providing livelihood opportunities to marginalized populations. Notably, this segment of vehicles accounts for approximately 46% of the fossil fuel consumed for transport, highlighting the significant need to transition to electric variants.

“The transportation sector is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Sri Lanka,” said Rick Whitaker, Chief of Party, the USAID Sri Lanka Energy Program. “Transitioning to electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers will help mitigate the negative environmental impact, reduce dependance on fossil fuels and minimize the foreign exchange outflows for fuel.

Therefore, our Sri Lanka Energy Program was happy to support this innovative initiative that supports the use of renewable energy to advance sustainable E-mobility in the country. We are excited to embark on this new initiative, which we see as yet another way of serving our nation,” said Sukitha Arangallage, Head of Sustainability, Cargills (Ceylon) PLC.

“Taking into account our island-wide reach, we are delighted to be able to support Sri Lanka’s transition to renewable energy powered transport. We are confident in our ability to play a key role in this endeavor and trust that the results of the pilot program will help in the wider vision to expand the project across the country in due course,” he added.

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