Resus Energy PLC, a renewable energy company, connected a 5.0MW ground mounted solar PV power plant to the national grid recently.
Built at a cost of over Rs. 750 million with state-of-the-art equipment encompassing tier-1 solar PV panels and top-of-the-range auxiliary equipment, the plant is expected to generate about 10 million units of electricity (10 GWh) annually.
Located in Damana, in the Ampara district, the power plant is connected to the Ampara grid substation. Along with existing 3MW operational power plants, Resus Energy now feeds 8MW in aggregate to the Ampara grid substation, expanding its footprint in rural electrification.
The development rights of these projects were secured from the Government’s Soorya Balasangramaya tender, floated to procure 90 x 1MW Solar PV projects. This is Resus Energy’s third solar PV site to date. Together with its first sites in Siyambalanduwa and Mahiyanganaya, Resus Energy now supplies 15 MW of solar power to the national grid.
The power plant was developed under challenging conditions when development had to be abandoned for a couple of years post-economic crisis. Having withstood these barriers, with the newest facility, Resus Energy now operates 11 utility-scale power plants across the country with a total 30MW capacity and an annual energy generation of nearly 75GWh.
Managing Director, Resus Energy, Kishan Nanayakkara said, “Being a signatory to the 2015-Paris Agreement on climate change, renewable energy is critical to meeting Sri Lanka’s promise to the world.
Through our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), set out under the Paris Agreement, we are obligated to reduce emissions by 30%, with 20% to come from energy sector. “This project therefore comes at a pivotal time when it is essential for us to expand our renewable energy portfolio.
It is also aligned with meeting the government’s 70% renewable energy generation target by 2030.“As a nation battered by multiple power crises, initially resulting from insufficient generation capacity, and subsequently from a thermal power dependent generation-mix, an improved level of renewable energy integration is critical to sustain an energy secure nation,” he said.
