Sri Lanka opens largest wind power farm in country and adds 100MW to national grid
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa last Tuesday declared open the country’s first state-owned wind power plant in Mannar.
The Thambapavani Power Plant, which is the largest wind power plant in the country, was connected to the national grid and as the first step; the plant is to generate 100 megawatts of power.
The Mannar Wind Power Project is the largest wind power project of Sri Lanka’s state owned power utility, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), with a capacity of 103.5 MW with an estimated investment of US$ 200 million.
The project was funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The contract for the construction of the 100 MW plant on the southern beach of Mannar island was awarded to Denmark’s Vesta Asia Pacific, a global leader in installing wind power plants.
The power plant has 30 V126-3.45 MW wind turbines generating 3.45 MW each installed along a 12.5 km stretch of coastline.
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Power Dullas Alahapperuma has noted that considering the electricity capacity generated by this project, it is possible to save 2,000 million litres of diesel in 20 years.
OSL take: The opening of the country’s largest wind power generation farm has opened up a new era in Sri Lanka’s renewable energy generation sector. The Sri Lankan government has placed high priority in increasing the renewable energy generation in the government in a bid to meet the growing demand for power in the country. Foreign businesses/investors could therefore explore the expanding opportunities in Sri Lanka’s renewable energy generation sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/16122020/Z_4 |