Underground heat for power generation

Nimal WIJESINGHE Anuradhapura Additional District group corr.

The geological Surveys and Mines Bureau (GSMB) is set to explore a new trend in thermal power generation. GSMB chairman Dr N. A. Wijayananda said that a project report has already been prepared regarding the possibilities of using heat resources that support the creation of hot water springs along the coastal belt starting from Kinniya in Trincomalee district to Mahapelessa close to Diyatalawa.

"This landscape runs along Mahapelessa, Diyatalawa, Mahaoya, Katuwella, Nelumwewa, Kinniya and Rangiri Ulpatha," he said. "There has been no volcanic formations in Sri Lanka, and as such, the emergence of hot water springs (wells) could be the result of some radio activity and this presumption is highly debatable.

Sri Lankan geophysicist now residing in Canada Dr Moral Fonseka and Dr Gruce of the Edinburg University in UK have been strongly advocating this theory and actively participating in the ongoing data processing," Dr Wijayananda said.

He said that it was presumed that the thermal power or the heating mechanism would be of a depth of around five kilometres from the surface of the earth.

The Canadian and British governments will fund the operation and the equipment would be offered to the GSMB.

The purpose of this exercise is to lie the underground heat to produce thermal power electricity generation according to the GSMB sources.