Esna Power to develop mini hydro power

The Akbar Brothers Group and Hirdaramani Group have joined hands with Esna Holdings owned by Eshana de Silva to develop renewable energy projects. The new venture "Esna Power Limited" will seek a public listing in shortly.

Esna Power Ltd has commenced operations in the sector with two MHPs of 3.8 megawatts and 2.5 mega watts. The 3.8 MW project is the Bulawatta MHP in the Haldamulla area with a gross head of 127m and a design flow of 3.9 m3/s.

This plant will contribute 12.5 GWh of energy to the national grid on its completion in 20 months. The 2.5 MW project is named the Mudugetta MHP in the Neluwa area with a gross head of 15m and a design flow of 21.8 m3/s. This plant will contribute 10.1 GWh of energy to the national grid on its completion in 18 months.

The Mudugetta plant is a joint venture with Vidul Lanka PLC.

The total investment envisaged in these two projects will be

Rs. 1.25 billion. A unique feature would be the use of Sri Lankan manufactured hydro turbines from VS Hydro (Pvt) Ltd.

The energy generation from Non-conventional Renewable Energy (NCRE) gained momentum in Sri Lanka over the last decade. To date the contribution by NCRE for the national energy consumption is over 6.8 per cent. The target of the Government under the Mahinda Chinthanaya is to make a 20 percent contribution by year 2020.