In the next five years, investment opportunities would be offered to the private sector for 1,000 MW of wind power electricity generation in the country, affirmed Ajith P Perera, Deputy Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, addressing the audience at the launch of Build SL Housing and Construction Expo 2018, held in Colombo, last Thursday.
He urged Sri Lankan entrepreneurs to make most of this zero corruption billion dollar business opportunity offered to them by the government.
He also asserted that no unsolicited proposes will be accepted again by the government to obtain electricity from anyone. A firm decision has also be taken to convert diesel and other electricity power plants by next year into Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants and measures will be finalized to set up a 300 MW electricity plant this month, which will add 300 MW to the national grid by 2019.
Furthermore, the Ceylon Electricity Board will enter into a public-private partnership (PPP) with other parties to build two 500 MW LNG power plants in the near future, he said.
Although the best renewable energy source was water, it was not possible to commence any electricity projects using water as all water sources have been exhausted by now. The only other renewable energy sources available which could be used to generate electricity in an affordable manner were wind and solar, the minister pointed out.
Today, 128 MW of electricity generated by wind power is added to the national grid. The minister however said that since his government came into power, a firm decision had been taken that no wind or solar power plant will be commissioned on permits or accepted as unsolicited proposals. A transparent tender procedure will be followed, he assured.
In the coming few months, tenders will be called for four projects in Pooneryn for wind power generation and four opportunities will be opened in the form of a 100 MW, a 50MW, and two 10 MW projects, for which local entrepreneurs could bid.
He said the Mannar solar power complex too which will come up with aid from the Asian Development Bank will take ground with a 100 MW plant. He said renowned foreign companies have told him that the best wind power generating area in the world is situated in the offshore seas in the North of Sri Lanka.
The deputy Minister urged local investors to get ready and grab these opportunities insisting that they need not go searching for land because land too would be provided by the government.
Perera also said they targeted to obtain 100 MW within two years from rooftop solar and by now they have been able to add 74 MW to the national grid and by December 31 they will be able add 100 MW to the system which is a US$ 100 million business. Deputy Minister Perera also said they targeted to fit rooftop solar units on one million Sri Lankan houses out of the total 5 million very soon.
The deputy minister said among their plans were a 100 MW solar power plant in Siyambalanduwa, 800 MW hybrid plant in Pooneryn and a one MW into 60 projects throughout Sri Lanka. He said with all the projects the government was able to lower the purchasing rate of one solar power unit from Rs 23.10 to Rs. 17.01.
He said they they commenced tendering for 10 MW power plants and the first tender for 10 MW two weeks ago in Batticaloa had received a solar power unit price of Rs 11.79, a 50 percent reduction.
The minister said they would be shortly starting another one MW into 90 projects and urged entrepreneurs not to go behind permits as they have no value at all.
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