Green farm status on the cards with micro hydro power plant:

Jagro to obtain new energy scheme

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

Sri Lanka’s premier berry grower, Jagro Pvt Ltd has signed an agreement with Industrial Services Bureau Kurunegala (ISB) to build a 20 kw micro hydro power plant at their berry farm in Ambewela in the Nuwara Eliya District.

This will be done through the SWITCH-Asia programme initiated by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and funded by the European Union to promote sustainable consumption and production practices in the food and beverage industry.

ISB Executive Director Neelakanth Wanninayake said with the micro hydro project, Jagro berry farm will be converted fully into a green farm as they are moving away from the existing fossil fuel power generation system.

Jagro was established in 2003 with a vision to change the agricultural landscape of the island.This experienced berry grower had an idea for a new kind of berry farm. Jagro has reached a milestone in September 2006 by becoming the first Sri Lankan company to obtain EUREP GAP Certification. This certification has made Jagro a licensed supplier of fresh strawberries to the European market. This new green energy scheme will turn a stream into a micro hydro power station benefiting the local farm and the climate, Wanninayake said.

He said, ISB is a registered Energy Service Company (ESCO), at Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority to provide energy services and solutions to the country and recently was selected the Best Energy Services Provider (merit) in the SLSEA ESCO Awards 2011 for the work done in optimization the country’s energy usage.

It has done substantial work on mini hydro power elated activities since 1990 working with upcountry tea factories by modifying the existing mini and micro hydro plants. Recently ISB have extended its services in the area of construction of grid connected power plants in the range of 2 mw in Kuda Oya Mini Hydro Project, Mawanella and Giddawa Mini Hydro Project, Kandy. ISB undertakes, plant designing,providing consultation,supplying machineries (turbines, generators, controllers, etc),commissioning plants, monitoring performances and training staff on operational and routine maintenance tasks, Wanninayake said.