The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is closely monitoring current hydropower generation levels to determine whether it should proceed with pending maintenance work on the Norochcholai Power Plant.
A senior CEB official told The Sunday Morning that a decision regarding the resumption of maintenance activities would be made soon, based on the status of reservoirs and hydropower capacities.
The CEB anticipates an increase in hydropower generation due to current pre-monsoonal conditions and the forecast of high monsoon activity across the country.
As of Thursday (16), water reservoirs were reported to be at optimal levels, enhancing the potential for hydropower production.
According to the Mahaweli Authority, while some key reservoirs are at low levels, others show varied storage capacities.
The Kotmale Reservoir in the Mahaweli system and Castlereagh Reservoir in the Kelani system are notably low.
However, the Victoria and Bowatenna Reservoirs in the Mahaweli system and the Maussakelle Reservoir in the Kelani system are at 20.1%, 37%, and 20.1% of their active storage capacities, respectively.
On the irrigation front, the Nuwara Wewa and Hurulu Wewa Reservoirs are at 48.5% and 45.3% capacity. Meanwhile, the Udawalawe Reservoir has exceeded its maximum capacity and is spilling over.
The CEB has delayed scheduled maintenance for Unit 3 of the power plant due to ongoing electricity generation issues.
In recent years, the Lakvijaya Power Plant, also known as the Norochcholai Power Station, has experienced several shutdowns and numerous breakdowns. Although multiple investigations into these breakdowns are underway, including one related to a nationwide blackout, their findings have not been made public yet.
Industry sources stated that during these periods of disruption, maintenance and operations were largely handled by the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC). Most recently, Unit 2 of the plant underwent a major overhaul and was reconnected to the grid in August last year, with maintenance conducted by both Chinese and local experts.
According to the manufacturer’s recommendations, a ‘Level A’ overhaul is required every four to six years for a 300 MW coal-fired steam power plant. However, the first ‘Level B’ overhaul for Unit 2 was delayed until August 2018, eight years after its initial synchronisation.
The Lakvijaya Power Plant, Sri Lanka’s first coal power plant, was constructed to meet the base load of the country’s daily energy demand. Phase I, with a capacity of 300 MW, was commissioned in March 2010, followed by Phase II, which added 600 MW (2x300) in 2014.
The project was funded by an $ 891 million soft loan from the Export-Import (Exim) Bank of China, with the Sri Lankan Government investing Rs. 5,300 million in the first stage and Rs. 11,000 million in the second stage. The CMEC was responsible for the construction.
Currently, the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant supplies nearly 40% of Sri Lanka’s firm energy demand.