The Sri Lankan government has awarded a 10 MW solar power project to a domestic company Didul (Pvt.) Ltd. The project is slated to be developed near a substation located in Valachchenai, which lies in the eastern region of Sri Lanka.

Apart from developing the project, Didul will also provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services.

The project will sell clean energy to the state utility Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for 12.49 LKR ($0.079) per kWh.

Sri Lanka has set an ambitious solar energy program called Soorya Bala Sangramaya. According to the phase I of the programme, its objective is to install 1,000,000 solar rooftop projects and generate 1 GW of solar power. In the next phase, it wants to build 150 MW small-scale solar PV projects of 1 MW capacity each.

Recently, Mercom reported that Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), tendered 90 MW of grid-connected solar projects to be developed across the country under the Phase-II of its Sooryabala Sangramaya Program.

Under phase III of the program, the country’s Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy wants to develop 50 MW of solar projects (five projects of 10 MW capacity each). The 10 MW project awarded to Didul is part of this phase of the program.

In the final phase IV, 400 MW of solar projects will be developed as part of a floating solar park. Under this phase, 100 MW will be developed in Maduruoya, two projects of 100 MW each in Pooneryn, and 100 MW project in Monaragala.

Mercom previously reported that the CEB also tendered a 10 MW solar project to be developed in Vavunathivu in Sri Lanka.

According to a joint study by the UN Development Program (UNDP) and Asian Development Bank (ADB), Sri Lanka can meet its current and future electricity demand through the use of renewable energy by 2050.

In 2017, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group member, had announced that it will invest $100 million to provide some impetus to financing for renewable energy projects in Sri Lanka.

Nitin is a staff reporter at Mercomindia.com and writes on renewable energy and related sectors. Prior to Mercom, Nitin has worked for CNN IBN, India News, Agricultural Spectrum and Bureaucracy Today. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University and Master’s degree in International Relations from Jindal School of International Affairs. More articles from Nitin Kabeer