26 March 2019 10:16 am
At a time when the country has plunged into darkness owing to inclement weather, the Cabinet last week approved the construction of a floating solar power plant with a capacity of 100MWs using Canadian technology, it is learnt.
According to the joint Cabinet paper submitted by President Maithripala Sirisena and Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake, the main stakeholders of the plant run as a joint venture are Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority.
The plant on water is said to store solar power in panels and batteries and is expected to be commissioned in 2025. Against this backdrop, the Cabinet gave the nod to appoint a committee of experts representing all stakeholders to finalise a blueprint to build the factory to produce solar panels and batteries.(Sandun A. Jayasekera)