Around 300 MW to be added to national grid:

Coal fired power a reality today

Second stage commissioning by 2014:

Ishara JAYAWARDANE

Live telecast on ITN, Rupavahini

The ceremonial opening of Sri Lanka’s first coal power plant by President Mahinda Rajapaksa will be telecast live over ITN and Rupavahini today. The ceremony will be telecast live from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

Sri Lanka’s first coal power plant will be opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Puttalam today. It will add 300 MW to the national grid. “It will be the largest single machine in Sri Lanka and will be actually run as a base load machine which means 24 hours continuous running. It is an asset to our system which has reached about 2,500 MW capacity. By adding this, it may increase to 2,800 MW,” Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

“Peak demand now is around 2,000 MW. It is also relatively cheap compared to oil fuel plants. We hope that by 2014 we will be able to commission the second stage as well, which will generate 600 MW. Altogether it will be 900 MW of coal power,” the Minister said.

The coal power plant was built using a US $ 450 million loan from China’s EXIM Bank. Most of the construction was carried out by China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.

“Sri Lanka has no coal plants. This is a new experience and new technology to Sri Lanka. Engineers have to be trained. After the power plant is commissioned and a reliability run, it will be completed and the CEB will take over the maintenance and operation from the Chinese Company,” Ranawaka said.

The Minister said high cost thermal plants are used in Sri Lanka at present. “Sometimes we spend Rs 52 per energy unit. Using this plant we can generate and distribute energy at a rate of about Rs 14 per unit. We can replace our high cost thermal plants by using this type of plant,” Ranawaka said.

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