Sri Lanka’s first commercial wind energy plant to start

Mar 18, 2010 (LBO) - Senok Wind Power, Sri Lanka's first commercial wind energy plant, will start operating this month in Puttalam in the island's north western coast using a 10 MegaWatt plant, officials said.





"This pioneering effort set from Senok has set the pace for attracting private sector investment for further development of wind power in Sri Lanka," says H.

De Costa, project director of Senok Wind Power told reporters

"Senok expects to complete the project and start transmitting electricity to the national grid within the next few weeks."

The plant is located on a five kilometre long strip of land that is a kilometre wide in the Mampuri areas of Kalpitya in the Puttalam district.

The company has installed eight wind turbine generators bought from India's Suzlon Energy Ltd.

Senok Power says the site could accommodate another two rows of wind turbines to with a total capacity of 30 MegaWatts.

Officials say the firm will get 18.

66 rupees plus 2.14 rupees from the first to the eight year of a standardized power purchase agreement (SPPA) under which it will sell power to the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board.

This will generate higher cashflow for the firm to pay off loans in