Eco Friendly Power launches two mini hydro plants

In another US $ 3.6 m investment:

Hemanthi Guruge

Eco Friendly Power Developers, a subsidiary of Acess Group will invest another US $ 3.6 million in two mini hydropower plant projects at Kadurugasgoda in Ratnapura and Uvathenna in the Balangoda area.

Eco Friendly Power Developers Director Romesh De Silva told to Daily News Business that the intention of Acess Group is to add 10 megawatts of power to the national grid in the next three years.

Construction of the power plants will commence in January 2012 and is expected to be completed within one year. These two mini hydropower plants will have a capacity to produce over 2.5 megawatts of electricity, he said.

Mini hydropower plants will generate 300 to 400 employment opportunities during the construction and more than 50 employment opportunities will be generated after the commissioning.

The Acess Group has already commissioned a 1.4 megawatts mini hydropower plant in the Badulla area and construction of another four mini hydropower plants will start in various parts of the country during the next three years.

There are numerous benefits provided by hydropower over other energy sources. It doesn’t produce air pollution or create toxic by-products like power plants that burn fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas.

Hydropower can meet changing demands because it can go from zero power to maximum output rapidly and predictably.

Hydroelectric power stems from the process of using water energy. It has a low operating cost once installed and can be highly automated.

With steady economic growth, the demand for energy is important especially for a developing country such as Sri Lanka.

The National Energy Policy and Strategies of Sri Lanka places renewable energy development as a high priority and considers it to be one among the nine main policy elements. This policy paper which is now being reviewed is likely to further strengthen the policy focus on renewable energy development.