2015 ඉඳන් කිසිම ලොකු power plant එකක් හදන්නේ දෙන්නේ නැතුව කඩාකප්පල් කරපු CEB Engineers Union + JVP trade union mafia හදන්න දෙයිද pumped storage එකක් 2031 නෙමෙයි තව අවුරුදු 10ක්වත් යයි. NPP ආණ්ඩුව Dr . Coal ව CEB සභාපති කරේ කොහොමත් Renewable Energy වලට වැඩේ දෙන්නනේ 
CEB curtails solar power intake into national grid; Regulator left in the dark
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) last week started curtailing solar power output to the national grid by giving instructions to small-scale ground-mounted power producers to drop production between 11am and 1pm.
It is not clear whether these instructions will be repeated today, as the producers were only notified verbally on the morning of February 16, 2025—when the first curtailment took place—to cut production by 50 percent each.
All affected plants were over 10 MW in capacity, said Sameera Ganegoda, President of the Grid Connected Solar Power Association.
There is no provision in the power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed between the CEB and these producers for such curtailment, he said.
Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has requested a report from the CEB on these cuts, which were carried out without prior notice to the regulator. It has also asked the utility to explain what steps it will take in the future as regards solar power supply to the grid.
Following the countrywide power failure of February 9, 2025, the CEB issued a press release saying it was triggered by a disturbance at the 33kV Panadura grid substation (GSS), leading to a sudden voltage drop across the network.
“At the time of the incident, over 50% of national electricity demand was met by 800 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, with additional supply from Lakvijaya Power Plant at Norochcholai (470 MW) and hydropower plants (130 MW),” it said.
“Due to the high penetration of non-synchronous solar PV generation, the grid had low system inertia, making it vulnerable to faults,” it continued. “The disturbance resulted in an imbalance between generation and demand, leading to cascading disconnections and a total power failure. A sharp voltage drop caused multiple solar PV systems to disconnect, worsening the imbalance and further destabilising the grid.”
One of the measures the CEB said it would take to prevent a recurrence was curtailing ground-mounted solar PV generation (only when necessary) during low-demand periods to mitigate instability risks. This will not affect rooftop solar.
However, instructions to cut power were unexpected, industry sources said, adding that the least-cost principle had been violated while it was also not clear what criteria had been adopted, how the relevant power plants were selected, or on what basis the extent of power restrictions was decided.
- https://www.sundaytimes.lk/250223/n...l-grid-regulator-left-in-the-dark-588811.html
$ 1 b pumped storage project: International funding yet to be secured
- Discussions held with WB, JICA, ADB
- Project aims to store 600 MW
- Expected to be completed by 2031
- Project design expected in 18 months
The Maha Oya Pumped Storage Hydropower Project, Sri Lanka’s first-ever ‘water battery,’ announced by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) last week, is estimated to cost around $ 1 billion, with construction set to be completed by 2031 provided the CEB successfully completes the detailed design of the project within the next 18 months, The Sunday Morning learns.
According to the CEB, the feasibility study has already been conducted, but the detailed design of the project is yet to be completed. The initial cost estimate for the project alone was $ 450 million, but the total cost is now expected to range from $ 800 million to $ 1 billion.
Furthermore, it is also learnt that no international funding has been secured for the project yet.
The planned pumped storage is expected to store around 600 MW of energy. Located in Aranayake and Nawalapitiya, the project will store excess Renewable Energy (RE) from solar and wind sources.
It will feature two reservoirs connected by a 2.5 km tunnel and help stabilise the grid, while supporting the country’s goal of generating 70% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. The project aims to reduce fossil fuel dependency, lower carbon emissions, and provide grid support for RE absorption.
When contacted, CEB Spokesman Eng. Dhammike Wimalaratne said that the CEB was working to secure long-term funding from international agencies to minimise impacts on electricity tariffs.
“We had a meeting with international funding agencies, which was attended by the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),” he said.
However, as learnt by The Sunday Morning, no funding agency has come forward to fund the project.
According to the Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan (LTGEP), pumped hydro storage accounts for nearly 97% of global storage applications in power systems. Used initially for peaking capacity, the technology has evolved to support flexible grid operation, especially with renewable energy integration.
The CEB, with technical assistance from JICA, conducted a study titled ‘Development Planning on Optimal Power Generation for Peak Power Demand in Sri Lanka’ in 2014. The study identified 11 potential sites for a 600 MW pumped storage power plant, evaluating them based on environmental, topographical, geological, and technical aspects.
After screening, three sites – Halgran Oya, Maha Oya, and Loggal Oya – were identified as the most suitable, with the Maha Oya site being concluded as the most promising for development.
The study determined that the plant’s optimum capacity should be 600 MW to meet peak demand beyond 2025, factoring in system limitations and turbine constraints.
Additionally, a new site in the Kandy District was proposed in the Electricity Sector Master Plan Study (2018), with a potential 1,400 MW capacity, utilising the Victoria Reservoir as the lower pond and a nearby irrigation pond in Wewathenna as the upper pond, with staged development.
- https://www.themorning.lk/articles/Z4cPOaAnhlQBixEY0gX2
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