By Ifham Nizam

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa assured that the whole country will have access to electricity before the end of this year.

“Ninety nine per cent of the population have electricity at present. There are only 84,000 families who still don’t have access to power”, the premier said at the inauguration of the construction of the Kerawalapitiya Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Power Plant with a capacity of 350 MW, on Friday.

 The Prime Minister stressed that the objective of the government is to provide electricity at a competitive price using modern technology in the world.

Power and Energy Minister Dullas Alhaperuma said that the price of a unit of electricity generated through conventional diesel power plants is between Rs. 25-30.

 The unit price of electricity further increases to between Rs. 30-45 when emergency purchases are required during periods of high demand.

 The unit price of electricity produced at the Kerawalapitiya Natural Gas Power Plant, which has now commenced construction would cost only Rs. 15, he noted. 

Alhaperuma said the new power plant has the potential to generate 13% of the country’s current electricity demand or 2,000 million electricity units annually, saving Rs. 12 billion annually to the country.

 It will save the country Rs. 240 billion over a period of 20 years, he said.

 He also said that the new power plant to be constructed at Kerawalapitiya-Wattala has been designed in accordance with international standards with a minimal impact on the environment.

The power plant will be equipped with a F- class gas turbine which has very high efficiency compared to other gas turbines installed in the country.

The Kerawalapitiya Power Plant is a combined cycle power plant and will be completed in two phases.

 CEB Chiarman Eng. Vijitha Herath said that the first phase, or the installation of a gas turbine, will generate 220 MW, which will be completed within 21 months and synchronized to the national grid.

 He said that the second phase will add a further 130 MW to the national grid via a steam turbine, which is expected to be completed within 12 months. The plant will augment Sri Lanka with a total capacity of 350 MW over the next three years.

 Lakdhanavi is responsible for the investment, engineering design, construction, commissioning, maintenance and operation of the new power plant. Lakdhanavi, which is a subsidiary of LTL Holdings Group, a local company since 1996. It is an industry leader synonymous with the construction of qualitative and feasible power plants in Sri Lanka as well as in South Asia, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal and the Middle East and East Africa.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have agreed to provide financial assistance for the construction of the power plant.

Just as low-cost power generation is significant for the future development of Sri Lanka, the construction of low-cost power plants is equally essential, industry officials remarked.