Seven more battery energy storage systems arrive at Colombo Port

Colombo, June 26 (Daily Mirror) - A consignment of seven additional Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) arrived at the Colombo Port yesterday evening. 

The seven newly arrived systems are scheduled to be installed adjacent to key electricity transmission substations in Panadura, Beliatta, Hambantota, Ampara, Vavunathivu, Valachchenai, and Mahiyanganaya. Collectively, these units have a storage capacity of 280MW, with plans to actively discharge 70MW daily into the national electricity network during peak hours.

The Ministry of Port and Civil Aviation said that WindForce PLC, a private renewable energy developer selected through an international competitive bidding process, is tasked with the installation and deployment of these seven systems. The company is also currently in the process of setting up similar energy storage solutions at six other designated locations across the country.

This batch follows an earlier phase of the project, which saw eight BESS units arrive in early June. Those units are currently being integrated near selected grid substations and are expected to be fully commissioned by the end of July, injecting an initial 80MW of power into the national grid.

While the continuous maintenance of these installations will be managed by the respective contracted suppliers, the overarching control and daily management of the storage systems will be handled by National System Operator Ltd (NSO), an entity operating under the Ministry of Energy.