Upper Kotmale commissioning next month

Ridma DISSANAYAKE

The Upper Kotmale hydro power plant which will add 150 megawatts to the national grid will be commissioned in June.

Ninety six percent of the construction of the power plant has been completed. It currently generates 75 megawatts.

The Upper Kotmale hydro power plant makes its highest contribution to the national grid during peak hours from 6pm to 9pm. Construction activities of the power plant project was divided to five categories for easy management. They are preparatory work, main civil work, hydro mechanical work, electro mechanical equipment and transmission line.

Under the preparatory works segment, the government had constructed 495 houses, 33 shops, six workshops, six libraries, two churches and three kovils in several areas in Talawakele for those affected by the Upper Kotmale reservoir construction.

A new school premises has also been built for Talawakele Tamil School and a three storied Urban Council building has been constructed under 'preparatory works'. Authorities have constructed new roads, drains, culverts and bridges. All residents in Talawakele have received a number of facilities through this project. The construction of the concrete gravity dam, tunnel, surge tank and under ground power house complex belong to the main civil works category. Under ' hydro mechanical works' the authorities have designed and installed spillway radial gates, stop logs, trash racks, embedded tunnel steel liners, embedded steel penstock and discharge facility for St Clair's waterfall.

Ninety five percent of 'electro mechanical equipment' have been completed. Design and installation of turbine, generator, power

transformer, switch yard equipment, power plant equipment, expansion of Kotmale 220 kv switch yard, expansion of 33 kv Nuwara-Eliya grid substation and flood forecasting system have been carried out under this category.

The total cost of the project is US $ 446 million. The Japanese government has funded these projects under a special loan scheme while the Sri Lankan government has provided US $ 100 million.