By Ajith Siriwardana  
With the commissioning of the Uma Oya Hydro Power Plant today, 120 MW generation capacity will be added to the national grid and reduce the cost of energy, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said yesterday.   He said in a statement posted on X, that the project will also provide water requirements for drinking, agricultural and irrigational requirements for beneficiaries in three districts. 
He also said the delays in the construction and commissioning of the hydro power plant due to various politically motivated protests is estimated to be a loss of Rs 9.8 Billion per annum to the CEB.   
“The hydro power plant project was scheduled to be commissioned in December 2015,” he added.   The project was officially launched in 2010, with an estimated cost of USD 514 million.