Kerawalapitiya power plant gets under way next month

by Lalin Fernandopulle

The proposal to implement the 300 MW power plant at Kerawalapitiya has been tabled for Cabinet approval and hopefully by early next month work will commence, said Power and Energy Ministry Secretary M. M. C. Ferdinando.

Construction work on the 300 MW power plant will not be delayed due to the demand for such a project increasing with the rising energy requirement in the country, he said.

The construction of the 300 MW power plant project, jointly undertaken by BPH International, Canada and Alenboro Energy Corporation, US will be completed within 14 months and handed over as a Design, Built and Transfer (DBT) project to the government at a cost of US$ 225 million.

The 300 MW power generated through the plant will be added to the national grid by 2007. The country's electricity requirement is 7600 MW of which 4100 MW is met through hydro and the balance through thermal power.

Ferdinando said the growing energy requirement is an issue facing the country and by 2007 it will aggravate. The Norochcholai and Upper Kotmale power projects cannot exhaust the entire energy requirement of the country.

There needs to be more projects coming up immediately if the country is to be redeemed from a major energy crisis.

The energy requirement for next year is far beyond the present generating capacity and if no alternative energy sources are found the country will be plunged into a worse situation and the dark era will resurface, Ferdinando said.

The country's annual energy bill exceeds all export earnings due to the overdependence on thermal power which is expensive.

It is a burden on the economy and the country cannot afford it when development programs need to be carried out.

Hydro power projects are cost - effective and less harmful to the environment than depending on expensive thermal power which has adverse effects on the environment. The other option is to have coal power plants which are cheaper but need to be monitored so that harm to the environment will be minimum.

The Kerawalapitiya power plant will be carefully monitored to minimise the harmful effects on the environment even though approval from the Central Environmental Authority will be obtained, he said.

The 300 MW power project of the Ceylon Electricity Board is expected to start commercial operations by 2008.

The project will generate 200 MW through gas and 100 MW through stream turbines.

The Kerawalapitiya power project will generate over 300 employment opportunities.