(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – The cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to a proposal put forward by the Minister of Power Dullas Alahapperuma, to proceed with the relevant activities for the construction of Sri Lanka’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plant.
The Ministry of Power aims to empower the country with effective and cost effective power generation realizing the President’s ‘Vision of Prosperity’ policy in line with the Sustainable Global Development Goals, Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said.
Minister Alahapperuma said that the construction of Sri Lanka’s first LNG power plant with a capacity of 300 megawatts will commence at the Lakdanavi Power Plant premises in Kerawalapitiya, making the generation of clean energy, which has been discussed since 2005, a reality.
Lanka Transformers Limited (LTL), the majority shareholder of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), has received Cabinet approval to construct the LNG plant in its Lakdanavi power plant premises.
The construction work of the Lakdanavi Natural Gas Power Plant will commence in late November, marking the first year of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s public service, the Minister said.
He further said according to the Vision of Prosperity, the Ministry of Power is focusing on the construction of such power plants with the aim of achieving 70% of the country’s electricity generation from clean and renewable energy by the year 2030.
At present about 35 percent of Sri Lanka’s power generation comes from diesel power plants and the cost of production per unit is as high as Rs. 30 and it is said that LNG power plants can reduce the unit cost to Rs. 15.
The Minister further stated that his Ministry’s goal is to reduce the contribution of diesel generation in the national grid to 5 percent by 2025 and to strengthen the national economy by providing low cost service to electricity consumers.
