Govt to revise power generation plan to boost renewable energy share

Colombo, July 21 (Daily Mirror) - The government will revise its electricity generation plans to increase the share of renewable energy beyond the current target while strengthening the national transmission network to maximise the use of renewable power, Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody told Parliament today.

Responding to a question raised by an Opposition MP, the Minister said the existing power generation plan targets 70% of electricity generation from renewable sources, but the government intends to increase that share through revised planning.

He said the electricity transmission system would also be upgraded to enable greater integration of renewable energy into the national grid.

As part of these efforts, the Sampur–Kappalthurai electricity transmission line will be upgraded from a capacity of 300 MW to 600 MW, while four additional electricity transmission systems will be constructed to strengthen the network.

The Minister also said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had recently instructed the government to invest in the construction of the Northern 400kV electricity transmission system.

He said the project aims to facilitate the integration of the maximum possible amount of renewable energy into the national electricity system.