(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Sri Lanka’s first ever state owned and largest wind power plant was declared open by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Mannar today(08).
The wind-power plant is owned by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and was constructed on a US$ 200 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The project was launched by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2014 in his capacity as the then President of Sri Lanka.
The wind-power plant has been constructed at a cost of US$ 150 and would add 100 MW of power to the national grid.
The CEB is considering installing six more turbines to produce an additional 20 MW of power with the remaining funds from the ADB.
Cabinet co-spokesman Minister Udaya Gammanpila told the weekly cabinet media briefing held today that the power plant was constructed to use fossil and reusable energy for power generation in Sri Lanka.
The wind –power plant will further help safeguard the country’s foreign exchange, he said.
Minister Udaya Gammanpila further said that one of the key reasons for the construction of the wind-power plant was to minimize the damages caused to the environment.
