March 27 commissioning of Upper Kotmale in doubt

By Ifham Nizam

The much-discussed commissioning of the Upper Kotmale hydro electricity plant would be delayed according to power sector sources despite President Mahinda Rajapaksa having reserved March 27 for its opening.

Power and Energy Ministry officials told The Island yesterday that the delay was due to a number of technical issues and non co-operation by some senior officials.

Going by the present pace of work, a Ministry official said, the plant would be commissioned by the end of April or at the beginning of May.

However, Kotmale Hydro Plant, Project Manager, Shavi Fernando told The Island that the plant would be commissioned on March 27 as was reported earlier. The senior engineer, when asked whether the commissioning would be delayed, said: "Ask those who say that!"

The new hydro power project at Upper Kotmale will add 150 megawatts (MW) of power to the national grid. The Japan-Sri Lanka combined project is expected to give a boost to the CEB increasingly dependent on costly thermal power.

Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told The Island recently that with the commissioning of the new project, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) was expected to increase the country’s total hydro electricity generation from 1,207.45 MW to 1,357.45 MW.

"The increase in the electricity capacity will help the CEB reduce the fuel surcharge and also provide an uninterrupted power supply to 4.3 million electricity consumers," Minister told media earlier this year.

The water for the new power project is supplied from the Kotmale Oya through a 13-km-long tunnel with a 5.9-metre diameter to Niyamgamdora.

Ten square metres and three cubic metres of water are carried per second through the tunnel. The Japan-Sri Lanka joint project was constructed at a cost of Rs. 8,548 mn and on a Japanese Yen 37,817 mn concessionary loan.

According to Ranawaka, 495 families affected due to the construction work of the project had been provided with new houses. An additional Rs. 77 mn had been spent to develop transport services and other needs of the villagers, including farmer families in the Upper Kotmale area.

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