Kerawalapitiya plant to generate low cost power

Wasantha Ramanayake

Kerawalapitiya : The Kerawalapitiya Multi Fuel Combined Cycle Power Plant would be the only remedy to avert a possible power crisis in the years 2009 and 2010 until the commissioning of major power projects such as the Norochcholai and Upper Kotmale, Power and Energy Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne said.

The Minister was addressing the media after inspecting the construction site at Kerawalapitiya, yesterday. The ground was being prepared for the construction.

"The demand for power had been constantly growing but the supply had not been accordingly increased due to the non-commissioning of new power stations during the last decade," Minister Seneviratne pointed out.

"We are anticipating a power crisis in 2009 and 2010.

Kerawalapitiya is the only remedy which is in our hand at the moment. If we could successfully complete the project by the end of 2008 I am sure we will be able face it."

The Minister stressed the necessity of expediting the work to avoid power cuts. "Unless we successfully complete the work by end 2008, the CEB would be forced to cut electricity at least three to five hours a day. That calamity has to be avoided. That would adversely affect the economic and social conditions of the country. In order to avoid it we will have to expedite the construction work."

Chief Executive Officer U.D. Jayawardane of Lanka Transformers Ltd., a major shareholder of the project, said that the significant feature of the plant was that it could be operated using any of the three kinds of fuel namely Diesel, furnace oil or even with Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), as implied by the term 'Multi-Fuel'.

"The turbines could be operated by the gases emitted as a result of the combustion of the fuel. Then a second turbine could be operated using the steam generated by the heat of such gases as well and this is what is called the combined cycle," he explained.

The CEO added that initially 200 MW of power could be generated by gas turbines by July 2008 and another 100 MW generated by steam could be added later by July 2009.

The CEO said that the cost of the power could be minimal since it could use cheaper furnace oil which was half as expensive as diesel.

He said that local engineers would play a major role from the designing up to the final commissioning of the plant and thus the total project cost too would be minimal.

A sum of US$ 120 million out of the total cost of US$ 326 million would be borne by the five State entities who are the major shareholders. Another US$ 206 million would be sourced from foreign loans.

West Coast (Pvt) Ltd. a majority Government owned company would operate the plant and at the end of the project period i.e. 25 years it would be handed over to the CEB free of charge.