May 17, 2017 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's Ceylon Electricity Board plans to add 500 megawatts (MW) of capacity in 2018, consisting of 15MW of mini hydro power, 160MW of solar power, 5MW of biomass, and 320MW of oil-based power, the power regulator said in a statement.
Sri Lanka's generation demand is expected to grow 5.9 percent per annum from 2018 -2022 while in addition the peak demand is expected to grow at 5.1 percent per annum. From 2018 - 2037 it is expected to grow 4.9 percent per annum while peak demand will cross the 4.5 percent mark.
According to the expected growth, it is identified that the grid should have an installed capacity of 4,269 MW at the beginning of 2018 and 10,783 MW by the end of 2037.
The island's power regulator, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) recently opened for public comment the Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plan (LCLTGEP) 2018-2037.
“The Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plan is one of the most important plans in a nation as it plans the electricity generation for the country for the next 20 years to ensure energy security at the least cost plant mix for each year is identified by analyzing and evaluating various technology options,” Damitha Kumarasinghe, director general of Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka said.
“It serves as a guideline to facilitate the decision makers in making decisions in line with national policy objectives, by exploring and evaluating various generation technology options in different situations.”
The proposed energy mix for the next twenty years consist, major hydro, coal, pumped storage hydro, combined cycle, oil and gas turbine plants.
The total investment required for implementing the 2018-2037 plan in the next 20 years is approximately 14.568 billion dollars (LKR 2,168.93 billion) ⁺⁺ without considering the projects for which funds have already been committed. The committed power plants are shown in below;
Committed Power Plants
| Power Plant |
Capacity (MW) |
Year of Operation |
| Thermal |
| Furnace Oil based Thermal Power Plant |
100
70 |
2017/2018 |
| Kelanitissa Gas Turbines |
3x35 |
2 Units by 2019
1 Unit by 2020 |
| LNG operated Combined Cycle Power Plant |
300 |
Open Cycle – 2019
(Open Cycle operation with Diesel as initial fuel)
Combined Cycle – 2020 |
| Hydro |
| Uma Oya HPP |
122 |
2019 |
| Broadlands HPP |
35 |
2020 |
| Moragolla HPP |
30.2 |
2022 |
| Wind |
| Mannar Wind Power Plant |
100 |
2020 |
The LCLTGEP, has been compiled based on the results of the latest electricity expansion planning studies conducted by the CEB for the planning period of 2018-2037 and aims to cater the forecasted demand growth by identifying the least cost plant addition sequence based on the most sustainable technology to avoid electricity shortfalls in the country.
