- CEB evaluates draft
- Power Ministry plans to export RE
Sri Lanka’s State-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has received a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) from Power Grid Corporation of India to connect the electricity grids of the two countries, The Sunday Morning learns.
It is learnt that the CEB is currently examining the MoU, expecting to sign it as soon as it is finalised.
Last year, the Government announced its decision to proceed with the India-Sri Lanka grid connectivity project, with Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera assuring its implementation by 2030.
A team from the CEB visited India for a technical evaluation of the project and the two countries have agreed on the option of using a submarine cable between the countries to connect the grid.
When contacted, a senior management official of the CEB, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sunday Morning that the MoU was currently being thoroughly examined by the board’s experts.
“Soon after we finalise the MoU we will be able to sign it,” the official affirmed.
A pre-feasibility study in 2002, aided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), explored an electricity grid interconnection between India and Sri Lanka. Subsequent efforts in 2006 and 2010 involved updates and a joint feasibility study between the CEB and Power Grid.
Initial findings raised doubts about the project’s economic viability due to factors such as submarine cable costs and further economic and financial assessments are pending.
The CEB plans to implement a 500 MW High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) system by 2034, at an estimated project cost of $ 18,883 million.
When contacted, Power and Energy Ministry Secretary Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena confirmed that the ministry had received an MoU from India last week for the grid connectivity project and said that the CEB was currently evaluating it.
“We have received a draft MoU because this matter had come up for discussion during the last meeting of power secretaries. It has been two decades since the idea of an India-Sri Lanka interconnection was first on the table. This is another means of enhancing energy security and opens up the possibility of accessing an additional energy supply from India,” he explained.
“This also presents an opportunity to export significant Renewable Energy (RE), as we have considerable potential in renewables, including offshore wind. However, our development in this area has been constrained by CEB requirements. By paving the way for a regional electricity market, involving countries like Nepal and Bhutan, we can expand our access to energy supply,” he added.
“We received the draft MoU last week. The CEB will provide its suggestions and recommendations, and we will need to review them thoroughly,” he concluded.