Government restarts wind power generation in Jaffna
The new government has focused attention on development in the North by restarting two stalled wind power projects which had to be suspended by the previous regime owing to protests of residents.
The pylons were erected from Thenamachchi -Marawanpilawa to transmit power from the wind power plant in the area by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and a private company.
This company has entered into a loan agreement with the NDB bank to develop two wind power projects in Chavakachcheri, Jaffna. Driven by state-of-the-art technology, each power project will have a capacity of 10 megawatts.
The project would install eight turbines with each power plant having a capacity of 2.5 megawatts of power.
Whilst the total cost of the project is estimated at US$ 28 million, the NDB Bank has granted a loan of Rs. 3 billion to carry out the project. The remaining capital will be invested by the private company, CEB sources said.
The power plant will be able to contribute to national electricity supply by producing a unit of electricity for an average amount of Rs.10.90 during the next 20 years.
This is beneficial and cost effective to CEB when compared to its current unit cost of about Rs.20 which it spends on purchasing power from similar wind power plants that are in operation at the moment, CEB officials said.
Residents of the area had opposed the construction of the wind power plant citing environmental degradation and water shortage.
The previous government had to suspend the technology driven wind power project due to pressure exerted by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) although it was beneficial for the people contributing immensely to uplift the lives of the Northern community who were affected by the three decade-long war.
Even though the war ended in 2009, the North has not been economically developed during the past decade with private investors reluctant to implement infrastructure development projects in the area
The sources said that the resumption of wind power project will be a commendable initiative which would attract other private firms to use the their resources and provide benefits for the people in the Northern Province.