Govt keen on 100 percent electrification of households :
Sulang Bala Meheyuma to be launchedthis month :
Surya Bala Sangramaya expected to generate 1,000 MW by 2025 :
Sri Lanka is working towards deriving maximum power generation from all spectrums of energy sources while minimising the environmental impact it will cause, a senior government official said.
“It is important to tap all the power resources to generate the necessary supply and we are considerate of the environmental impact in doing so. Therefore, measures will be taken to mitigate the impact on the environment,” Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy Secretary Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda said.
While the government is keen on working towards 100 percent electrification of households in the country, it has provided electricity to all the households requesting power.
At the beginning of the last year, we had 300,000 households without electricity due to various reasons such as lack of funding and technical issues. We even changed the rules to reach these customers and provided them with electricity, he said.
Stressing that the power sector is critical for the development of the country, Dr. Batagoda said that both the supply and consumption functions are important.
The country has a maximum power demand of 2,400 MW at present and the power installed capacity is 4,100 MW.
Though, there is excess capacity, meeting the present demand had been a challenge due to the fluctuation of power supply in alternative sources and breakdowns. Any country should have reserve power as a measure to overcome this situation, he said.
Sri Lanka has long term plans for growth in the power sector and expects that there will be 6 to 7 percent growth in power demand on a yearly basis.
“The government is committed to supplying power continuously to all consumers and ensure that their day-to-day activities are not affected, it also costs the government huge amounts to purchase power from the private sector. With the prevailing drought it is a challenge to supply power without power cuts being imposed. However, the government is taking every possible step to provide electricity continuously,” he said.
In 2016, 5,000 GWH was generated from hydro power, whereas in 2017 only 3,000 GWH was generated.
This has created a capacity problem as it has restricted power supply. However, there are a number of large power projects and the Sooriya Bala Sangramaya (SBS) where roof top solar panels are set up for power generation has commenced.
It is expected that under this project 1,000 MW will be generated by 2025. The SBS project will spread across the country where 37 tenders have been awarded and another 19 to be awarded shortly.
“The government is looking at the entire spectrum of power sources including solar, wind, coal and nuclear power. Among the sources, wind power is considered to be an important aspect of power generation. A 120 MW plant has already been completed. To gain maximum use of wind, Sulang Bala Meheyuma is due to start this month. There is a three-pronged approach to generate wind power. There are two wind power plants in Mannar and Pooneryn with capacities of 300 MW and 200 MW respectively,” he said. Measures have been taken to build mini hydro power plants across the country and 50 such plants will be constructed within the next five years.
“We are planning Victoria Phase 2, which is to commission a pump hydro model plant with a capacity of 120 MW. Biomass is a another source of power generation we are looking at. We have already commissioned a 30 MW plant and planning a 50 MW plant. We are also considering municipal waste energy for power generation. This will resolve the urban waste issue and approval has given for four projects with a capacity of 10 MW each. We have given a special rate for this project to encourage the use of waste effectively,” he said.
The government is planning to build LNG plants and considering the possibility of converting the 950 MW thermal power plant into an LNG plant. We will construct a 300 MW LNG plant at Kerawalapitiya through tender procedure. There will be 500 MW plant with Japanese government assistance and another 500MW plant with Indian assistance. There will also be 400 MW plant in Hambantota built by China which also plans to builds a LNG terminal facility at the Colombo Port. There is a proposal to build a floating regasification unit with India and Japan as joint venture partners and a unit with Korea using competitive Swiss challenge procedure.
“With planned developments in the power sector by 2020, we will have LNG in the country to produce power by this source.
As a short term measure, until these power plants are in operation we will build four plants with 4MW capacity using heavy fuel. The government has decided not to have sub critical coal power plants taking into consideration the social and environmental aspects.
As a policy decision, the government is looking forward to build a nuclear power plant to minimise the environmental impact,” he said. With the steps taken to provide electricity to all the households in the country, the government is working towards improving the grid stability and voltage issues. As some areas have low voltage and breakdowns, we need to rectify these and have invested to improve transmission lines. “We plan to replace all cables with ABC cables. This will preserve the environment. We avoid cutting trees as much as possible. We also look into electricity thefts.
There is also a proposal to build a Indo–Sri Lanka marine cable line. The plan is to build 1,000 MW HVT cable from Anuradhapura to Madurai. This will help us to export electricity when in excess,” Dr. Batagoda said.
The power sector will be converted to zero carbon sector by 2050.