Era of bottle lamps will be ended:

Meeting the electricity demand by 2012

Continued from yesterday

Ariya RUBASINGHE

Work on the second stage of the Kerawalapitiya power Plant has been completed and it will be commissioned on March 25 this year with the opening of the plant by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The first phase of the project was also declared open by the President on December 8, 2008

The commissioning of this plant will considerably reduce the country’s dependence on oil for generation of power. The project will add 300 mw to the national grid. Out of this 200 mw will be generated using furnace oil and the balance 100 mw will be generated using steam emanated from the plant. The steam which will be a by-product emanated from the first phase operation of the plant will have no cost bearing on the production expenses.

Local engineers played a major role for designing of the plant up to finally commissioning and operation and maintenance.

Norochcholai coal power plant

This project which should have been started in 1985 was stalled due to political reasons and due to protests made by certain community groups. It was claimed that the project would contaminate the environment, affect the fishery resources and would cause perennial ailments and even death to the people in the area.

Many countries have resorted to the technology of Coal Fired Power Plants to alleviate their power shortages. America generates over 300,000 mw from coal which amounts to half of its power demand. India turns out more than two thirds of its electricity from coal power plants with an installed capacity of about 100,000 MW. China produces four fifths of its energy from coal power plants.

The construction of the Norochcholai facility began on May 11, 2006. Upon completion of the project it would become as the largest power plant in the country, in terms of capacity.

Due to the bold decision taken by President Rajapaksa to implement the project which was stalled due to political reasons, the Electricity Department will be capable of making Sri Lanka meet its demand for electricity by 2012.

To implement the Norochcholai project, the Government has already settled 80 families in new areas. They have been provided with modern houses and 1/2 acre of cultivable land for each family. The resettled farmer families have been provided with farming equipment and other requirements. Those who were engaged in the fishing industry, in addition to modern houses, have been provided fishing and fishing boats. They were also provided schools and other community service facilities. The plant uses advanced technology which nullified emanation of soot and smog and even the waste water discharged to the sea will be pumped out preventing any harm to the fishery resources in the area.

Coal supply to this project will be obtained from Indonesia which is one of the three sources for coal. The other two being Australia and South Africa. Supplies from Indonesia will be cheaper due to its proximity and negotiations have been completed.

The first phase of the project which would generate 300 mw will be directly supplied to the national grid at Veyangoda and it will be commissioned in March this year.

The second and third phases which would generate another 600 mw power will become operational by 2013.

Upper Kotmale project

This project which should have been started 10 years ago was kept on hold since the past governments failed to implement it due to political reasons. Overcoming all these political barriers the Government has succeeded in making this project a reality. Over 450 families in line-rooms in the area covered by the project have been provided with modern housing units in Talawakelle and they have been also provided with other community facilities. This include a new school built for them in Talawakelle in addition to the school that existed in the area.

Seventy percent work on the project has been completed. An 18 km tunnel conveying water from Talawakelle to Liyanagamdora has also been completed. Upon completion of the project in August 2011, it will add 150 mw to the national grid. The project is expected to add 409 GW to the national grid annually.

In addition to the funds allocated through the decentralized budget the Japan Bank for International Corporation is funding the project.

Trincomalee coal fired power plant

The project will be a joint venture with India but Sri Lanka will be controlling authority. Due to disputes over the site location initial work on the project was delayed and on Sri Lanka’s insistence India has ultimately agreed to setting up of the plant in Sampur.

Sri Lanka will invest 75million US $ and India will invest an equivalent amount of 75 mn US $. The balance amount of 350million US $ will be received from the Asian Development Bank under a 40 year loan.

The project will generate 500 mw and in the first phase and another 500 mw under the second phase.

This project also envisages to supply electricity to India, as many areas in Tamil Nadu are severely affected by power shortage. Under the project, transmission lines will be laid from Anuradhapura to Talaimannar and from Talaimannar to Rameswaram (India) a 45 km undersea cable line will be laid which will be financed by India. Laying of transmission lines will also be undertaken by India.

The plant will cover 500 acre land area and is expected to be completed by 2015. The excess power Sri Lanka will be having upon commissioning of these power projects will be sold to India.

Concluded

(The writer is Director General, Media Centre for National Development)