List of power stations in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's electricity demand is currently met by nine thermal power stations, fifteen large hydroelectric power stations, and fifteen wind farms, with a smaller share from small hydro facilities and other renewables such as solar. Most hydroelectric and thermal/fossil fuel–based power stations in the country are owned and/or operated by the government via the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), while the renewable energy sector consists mostly of privately run plants operating on a power purchase agreement with the CEB.[1]
Per CEB's 2016 generation report released in mid-2017, the country has a total combined installed generation capacity of 4,017 megawatts (MW), of which 2,115 MW (52.65%) was from thermal (900 MW/22.40% from coal and 1,215 MW/30.25% from fuel oil), 1,726 MW (42.97%) from hydroelectricity, and the remaining 176 MW (4.38%) from other renewable sources such as wind, biomass, and solar. These generation sources produced a total of 14,149 GWh of electricity during that year, of which 9,508 GWh (67.20%), 4,220 GWh (29.83%), and 421 GWh (2.98%) was from thermal, hydro, and other renewables, respectively.[1]
Non-renewable
[edit]As of 2015, 1,464 MW of the total thermal installed capacity was from state-owned fossil fuel power stations: 900 MW from Lakvijaya, 380 MW from the state-owned portion of Kelanitissa, 160 MW from Sapugaskanda, and 24 MW from Uthuru Janani. The remaining 641 MW of the installed thermal capacity are from six privately owned power stations. All thermal power stations run on fuel oil, except Lakvijaya, which run on coal.[2][3]
In an attempt to lower the current consumer tariff for electricity, the government has decided not to renew the power purchase agreements of privately owned thermal power stations when their licences expire, as it has done with the six now-decommissioned private power producers listed below.[4] The government will utilize the new Sampur plant combined with new renewable sources to accommodate the lost private-sector capacity, with plans to introduce nuclear power after 2030.[5]
The 500 MW Sampur Power Station was in early stages of development since 2006, but was subsequently cancelled in 2016 due environmental concerns.[6] Prior to its cancellation, the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy also made a statement that no more coal-fired power stations will be commissioned, making Lakvijaya the only coal-fired power station in the country. Any future thermal power stations will also be natural gas–run, to reduce the nation's carbon footprint.[7]
Station | Closest city | Location | Capacity (MW) | Owner | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lakvijaya | Puttalam | 08°01′06″N 79°43′22″E / 8.01833°N 79.72278°E | 900 | Government | [2][3] | |
Sampur | Trincomalee | 08°29′10″N 81°18′00″E / 8.48611°N 81.30000°E | 500 | Government | Cancelled | [6] |
Station | Closest city | Location | Capacity (MW) | Owner | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aitken Spence | Colombo | 07°00′59″N 79°52′14″E / 7.01639°N 79.87056°E | 10 | Private | Completed | [13] |
Karadiyana | Colombo | 06°48′57″N 79°54′11″E / 6.81583°N 79.90306°E | 10 | Private | Under construction | [13] |
KCHT Lanka Jang | Colombo | 07°00′59″N 79°52′14″E / 7.01639°N 79.87056°E | 10 | Private | Under construction | [13] |
Renewable
[edit]Hydroelectric
[edit]Hydroelectricity has played a very significant role in the national installed power capacity since it was introduced in the 1950s, with over 50% of the total grid capacity met by hydroelectricity in 2000–2010. Hydroelectricity was popularized as early as the 1920s by Devapura Jayasena Wimalasurendra, who is considered as the "father of hydropower" in Sri Lanka. It lost its majority share on the power grid when further thermal power stations were introduced in 2010. The hydropower resource in Sri Lanka is divided into two main regions based on water resource, namely the Mahaweli Complex and Laxapana Complex.[14][15]
While most hydroelectric power stations are named after their water source (i.e. the name of the dam and/or reservoir), a number of facilities have different names due to the fact that they are located larger distances apart (connected via underground penstocks). Further information on each power station is included in the corresponding water source article (i.e. dam). Privately owned "small-hydro" facilities (which are limited to a maximum nameplate capacity of 10 MW by state policy),[16] are excluded from this list.
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The Victoria Dam fuels the single largest hydroelectric power station in the country, with 210 MW of installed capacity.[17] Shown here is the dam during dry season, 2011.
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The Upper Kotmale Dam under construction in April 2011. The dam is now complete and powers its 150 MW power station located 13 km away.[18]
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The Randenigala Dam as seen from the Rantembe Reservoir in December 2012. The Rantembe Dam is located just 3 km downstream of Randenigala.[20]
Solar power
[edit]This section needs to be updated.(July 2020) |
Solar power is a relatively young segment in the energy industry of Sri Lanka. As of 2015, only a few grid-connected solar farms were operational, including a state-run facility. Despite at least half a dozen private companies applying for development permits for photovoltaic and solar thermal projects,[24] most have not actually commenced construction.
Solar farm | Location | Capacity (MW) | Owner | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hambantota | 06°13′34″N 81°04′35″E / 6.22611°N 81.07639°E | 1.2 | Government | [24][25] | |
Laugfs | 06°13′47″N 81°04′48″E / 6.22972°N 81.08000°E | 20.0 | LAUGFS Holdings | [26] | |
Maduru Oya | 07°38′53″N 81°12′25″E / 7.64806°N 81.20694°E | 100.0 | Mixed | Proposed | [27] |
Sagasolar | 06°13′54″N 81°05′08″E / 6.23167°N 81.08556°E | 10.0 | Sagasolar Power | [28] | |
Solar One Ceylon | 07°58′30″N 81°14′10″E / 7.97500°N 81.23611°E | 12.6 | WindForce | [29] |
Wind power
[edit]This section needs to be updated.(July 2020) |
Sri Lanka's wind power sector saw activity as early as 1988, when studies were conducted to build a pilot wind project in the Southern Province. More than a decade later, the state-owned 3 MW Hambantota Wind Farm was commissioned. The industry stayed dormant till 2003, when the National Renewable Energy Laboratory conducted further wind power studies in the island, before which the industry went into dormancy for a further seven years.[30]
Unlike the other industries, Sri Lanka's wind energy industry witnessed a sudden boom in 2010, with the commissioning of the Mampuri Wind Farms, the first private-sector wind project in the country's history.[31][32] It then suddenly crashed over the following four years after numerous scandals and hidden political dealings surfaced, involving key governing bodies such as the Sustainable Energy Authority and Ceylon Electricity Board, along with a number of senior individuals.[33]
The last privately owned first-come, first-served style wind farm projects, the Pollupalai and Vallimunai Wind Farms, were completed in late 2014, by when the construction of new privately owned wind farms were suspended until further notice by presidential order.[33] The largest private-sector beneficiaries of the "wind power boom" are WindForce and Senok, which currently own seven and three separate wind farms respectively, of the total of 14 privately owned wind farms in operation as at 2015.[34] The other companies in the market include the semi-private LTL Holdings, Aitken Spence, and Willwind, which are currently operating four wind farms in total.[24]
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Turbines of the Ambewela Aitken Spence Wind Farm as seen from approximately 10 km away from Horton Plains National Park
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Wind turbines of the Mampuri and Madurankuliya wind farms. The large building on the right is the 900 MW Lakvijaya Power Station.
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Close-up view of the turbines at Uppudaluwa Wind Farm, in 2014
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "CEB Statistical Report 2014". Ceylon Electricity Board. 2014. p. 3. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Generation Details". Ceylon Electricity Board. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae "Generation Plants". Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d "We decided to close down three thermal power generation plants that supplied electricity to the Ceylon Electricity Board". Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "CEB includes nuclear power in generation plan". Lanka Business Online. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Controversial Coal Power Plant In Sampur Cancelled". Colombo Telegraph. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "Sri Lanka to reduce its carbon foot print in energy production by switching to gas". Lanka Business Online. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ Mathes, Rohan (9 December 2008). "Kerawalapitiya power plant commissioned". Lanka Daily News. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ Patel, Sonal. "Sri Lanka commissions major Thermal Power Plant". No. 2 January 2009. Powermag.com. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ "Sobadhanavi takes delivery of gas turbine". The Island. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "O&M of a 60 MW barge-mounted diesel power plant". Burmeister and Wain Scandinavian Contractor. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Aitken Spence puts two thermal power plants up for sale". The Daily Mirror. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ a b c "Two waste-to-energy plants to get off the ground today". Daily FT. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Wimalasurendra and Sri Lanka's hydro power". The Sunday Times. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "Appreciation: Eng. D. J. Wimalasurendra". Daily News. Sri Lanka. 15 September 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ A guide to the Project Approval Process for on-grid Renewable Energy Project development (PDF) (2.0 ed.). Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority. July 2011. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Victoria Dam". Mahaweli Hydropower Complex. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Upper Kotmale Hydropower Project". Ceylon Electricity Board. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ Sriyananda, Shanika (27 March 2015). "Uma Oya Project: More damages than benefits?". Daily FT. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Rantembe Dam". Mahaweli Hydropower Complex. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ "About the Broadlands Hydropower Project". Ceylon Electricity Board. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
- ^ Sirimane, Shirajiv (5 January 2014). "Moragahakanda project on schedule". Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ P, Krishnaswamy (18 May 2014). "Deduru Oya reservoir project, a milestone for NWP farmers". Sunday Observer. Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "PUCSL: Licensing" (PDF). Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Solar Power Park to be set up in Hambantota". Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy. January 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ "Sri Lanka's largest solar power plant by LAUGFS takes off ground". Lanka Business Online. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "Sri Lanka govt to call bids for 100MW floating solar power plant". Lanka Business Online. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Sri Lanka's 10MW solar power plant commissioned, lead financing by DFCC". Lanka Business Online. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- ^ "Hayleys unveils Sri Lanka's largest capacity solar power plant in Welikande". Lanka Business Online. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- ^ D, Elliott; M, Shwartz; G, Scott; S, Haymes; D, Heimiller; R, George (August 2003). Wind Energy Resource Atlas of Sri Lanka and the Maldives (PDF). National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Rs. 3b Senok wind power project launched in Puttalam". Sunday Observer. Sri Lanka. 21 March 2010. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ Sirimanna, Bandula (21 March 2010). "Harnessing wind energy from Sri Lanka's west coast". The Sunday Times. Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b Gunaratne, Natasha (27 September 2009). "Wind powered electricity generation projects halted". The Sunday Times. Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Windforce: Power Projects". Windforce (Pvt) Ltd. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Blue chips eye more hydro, wind power plants". Daily News. Sri Lanka. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ Kuruwita, Rathindra; Amaleeta, Nimashi (14 December 2008). "Future of wind resource development in Sri Lanka". The Nation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Waidyasekera, Raja (29 October 2018). "Removal of Hambantota wind power plant imminent". Daily News. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Charumini De Silva (18 March 2010). "Senok opens first commercial wind power park". Daily News. Sri Lanka. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "17 billion rupees for a 100MW wind power plant project from Samurdhi Bank". Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ "Largest wind power plant Thambapavani declared open | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ "SLSEA Energy Permits: Wind Projects". Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "PUCSL: Intention to Grant Licences". Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Project Information: Hayleys Nirmalapura Wind Farm". World Bank. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ^ "Windforce Power Projects: Joule Power". Windforce (Pvt) Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Seguwantivu and Vidatamunai Wind Farms". Windforce (Pvt) Ltd. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "PowerGen Wind Power Plant". Windforce (Pvt) Ltd. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ^ "Windforce Power Projects: Beta Power". Windforce (Pvt) Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
External links
[edit]- Ceylon Electricity Board
- Ministry of Power & Renewable Energy
- Mahaweli Hydropower Complex
- Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority