Power Minister aims to increase Mannar wind power plant complex output to 300MW by 2025 

By Ifham Nizam

The Mannar Wind Power Plant Complex should aim to produce 300MW to the national grid by 2025, Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has instructed the Ceylon Electricity Board top management.

Minister Alahapperuma told The Island that their major task was to achieve 70 percent renewable energy target by 2030 set by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

“We have to go all out to achieve this target in the best possible manner, and I am sure will be able to get there,” he added.

He said that 200MW could be generated by the Mannar Wind Plant apart from another 200MW Wind from Poonaryn and 100MW Solar.

He also said that their main target was to reduce diesel and furnace oil consumption to five percent from current 34 per cent, by 2025. “Our ultimate goal is to reduce oil consumption in power generation to one percent by 2030”

Minister Alahapperuma expressed concern about Rs. 250 billion in oil burnt by the energy sector alone out of the total  of Rs. 1,250 billion spent on fuel annually by the country.

“It costs Rs. 30 to produce one kilowatt hour of electricity from diesel, and it costs eight rupees to produce one kilowatt hour from wind, the difference being Rs. 22,” he said.

“I think it is the responsibility of the Ceylon Electricity Board and no one else to achieve this target. We have proved that we can do that.

The Mannar Wind Power Project is the largest wind power project of the Ceylon Electricity Board, with a capacity of 103.5 MW with an estimated investment of USD 200 million, with a loan from the Asian Development Bank.

Although the approval for the Mannar Wind Power Project was granted in 2015 its construction work commenced only in May 2019. The power plant has 30 turbine towers generating 3.45 MW each installed along a 12.5 km stretch of coastline. Of this total generation of 103.5 MW is categorized as renewable energy.

The electricity generated by this project will be added to the national grid through the Nadukuda grid substation through an underground power line to the transmission centre. The main contractor for the project is a Danish company.