News

Govt. trying to restore 165 MW Kelanitissa combined cycle power plant, which broke down last Oct.

Published

5 years ago

2020/09/17

By Ifham Nizam

The government will act fast to repair the much needed 165MW from the Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Plant and connect it to the national grid, Minister of Power Dullas Alahapperuma has assured.

Following his visit to the Plant, on Tuesday evening, Alahapperuma instructed engineers and technical experts to restore its power generation within the next few weeks.

The Minister also stressed that he would request the Indian government to expedite the shipment of necessary parts.

The Kelanitissa Power plant has been out of order since October 2019.

Engineers too expressed confidence that Plant could be restored within the next few weeks.

The Island

learns that parts of the plant were sent to India for repairs last year.

The plant was stopped due to a mechanical fault, and the machines have not been repaired. The delay in repairs was mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Kelanitissa Plant has a 20-year power purchase agreement with the CEB and a 20-year fuel supply agreement with Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) until 2023.

The Sojitz Kelanitissa Power Station (also known as Sojitz Power Station, and AES Kelanitissa Power Station), is a privately-owned 172 MW diesel-fired combined cycle power station. It is owned by Sojitz Kelanitissa Private Limited, a subsidiary of Sojitz Corporation.The power station is located adjacent to the Kelanitissa Power Station, which is a separate government-owned power station.

The power station consists of two generation units, a GEPG9171E gas turbine with a nameplate capacity of 115 MW, and a 57 MW steam turbine manufactured by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. The construction was done by Larsen & Toubro.

Power generated by the power station are sold to the Ceylon Electricity Board under a 20-year take-or-pay power purchase agreement. The low-sulphur diesel is supplied through an existing pipeline by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, with 20,000 tons, or the equivalent of 28-days of full capacity operations, stored in case of any fuel shortage. The plant’s 20-year contract ends on October 10, 2023.

The economic analysis for the project was conducted in accordance with Asian Development Bank (ADB) guidelines.

This analysis covers the period from the start of construction in 2001 with the commissioning date of 2003 and up to the end of the concession in 2023. All values are adjusted to reflect 2003 prices, since 2003 is the year of the commercial operation date.

Forecast data from 2011 to 2023 were adjusted to real terms using the 2.40% United States inflation forecast utilized in the 2011 financial model.

All News Advertisement

News

SAARC journalists meet in New Delhi

Published

7 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

President of SJF Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi hands over a memento to Dr Alok Kumar Mishra Joint Secretary of the Association of Indian Universities

Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.

Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.

A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.

The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.

News

Governor of Gujarat met with Sri Lanka PM to discuss exposition of Devnimori Relics

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.

These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.

The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.

The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

INS GHARIAL makes port call in Colombo

Published

15 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.

During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.

The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.