Construction of Uma Oya Hydro Power Plant to conclude next year : Min. Karunanayake

Minister Ravi Karunanayake has said that the construction of the Uma Oya Hydro Power Plant will conclude between April-August next year and is expected to supply 120 Megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid.

The construction of the power plant is expected to form part of the Puhulpola and Dyrabaa reservoir while also supplying water from the Uma Oya to the Kirindi Oya via a tunnel through an underground power station at Randeniya.

The first phase of the project will be completed at a cost of USD 5.29 million. The project is being constructed on a USD 450 million loan obtained from the Iranian Government and the Export Development Bank of Iran.

The construction is being carried out by Farab Energy and Water Project Company upon an agreement signed in April 28, 2008 which came into effect since March 2010.

"Power outages are being faced nowadays due to certain delays in the construction of power plants. Our objective is to overcome all obstacles and expedite the construction process of these power plants," Minister Karunanyake told the press following an observation tour around the Uma Oya power plant.