Lanka-India Power sharing by 2015

Sri Lanka and India are on track to complete a bilateral power transmission project to share electricity by 2015-2016, Indian media reported yesterday.

The two neighbours will soon sign a MoU to study the feasibility of laying an undersea electricity and fibre optic cable to connect their electricity networks. This is likely to be a part of the envisaged South Asian energy grid. The project is to be completed in just 42 months after approval is obtained from both sides. The implementing agencies are India’s Power Grid and Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board.

The link will help Sri Lanka to reduce use of expensive fossil fuel and import cheaper power from India. However, the 500 MW power lines can work both ways. The output can be increased to 1,000 MW, said to be

roughly one-fourth of Delhi's peak consumption, by 2015-16.

The lines are to be laid undersea between Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu and Talaimannar on the left flank of the Mannar islands in Sri Lanka. On the Indian side, the cable will be connected to the southern grid at Madurai and on the Sri Lankan side, the underwater cable will be linked to the national grid in Anuradhapura. The adjacent fibre optic cable would be able to carry voice and data signals.