Upper Kotmale project
Achieving another milestone in the country�s development drive,
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday opened the longest tunnel which
would carry water from the Kotmale reservoir to the under ground power
station under the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power project which adds 150 MW of
power to the national grid.
 This project which is estimated to cost Rs. 44 billion is funded by
the Government of Japan and Ceylon Electricity Board. The construction
of the project commenced in 2006.
This concept of the project was first mooted by the Sri Lankan
authorities in 1968 under the Mahaweli scheme. But this project was not
implemented under the accelerated Mahaweli Development Scheme of the UNP
Government.
As per the provision in the National Environment Act of 1998, the
Environment clearance was granted to the Upper Kotmale Power Project.
There were several objections to the project initially and they were
settled by the courts of law. The project was implemented under five
phases.
The Japanese Government provided a loan of Japanese Yen 33,265
million while the CEB makes an investment of Rs 5,931 million for the
project.
It is targeted to generate 409 GWH of electricity annually by this
project and the installed capacity is 150MW. The dam will be constructed
across the Kotmale stream. The length of the dam is 180 metres and the
height 35.5 metres. CP
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