Poonakary Lake project Move to purchase unit of solar power at Rs. 50: AKD

• Alleges the said project had not gone through the due tender procedure

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera   

The Cabinet has approved a power purchasing agreement to purchase at Rs. 50 a unit of solar power from the proposed 700 MW solar power plant at Kilinochchi Poonakary Lake when a unit of power generated by coal power plant is available at Rs. 22, NPP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday.   

He told Parliament that according to the power purchasing agreement, the government is to purchase a solar power unit at Rs. 50 for nine years.   

The MP alleged that the said project had not gone through the due tender procedure.   President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who stood, said the project to be undertaken by the United Solar Energy will renovate the Poonakary Lake and will allow the cultivation of 20,000 acres.   

“The CEB engineers protested against this project. They want least cost projects. Least cost means fuel or coal. Then, they can get commissions. They cannot get commissions from solar power and wind power,” he said.   

Responding to the allegation, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said that the due tender procedure had not been followed is false and that a unit of solar power is to be purchased at Rs. 49.   

“It is not only solar panels but a battery energy storage to store solar power to be used at night. This battery energy storage is the largest in Asia of that kind. It is the world’s largest solar energy storage. The unit cost of Rs. 49 is charged for this stored solar power. This solar power will be used at night peak and will replace thermal power which costs around Rs. 62. So, we will have a benefit of Rs. 10,” he said.   

The Minister also said the project at the Poonakary Lake will allow the cultivation of about 20,000 acres too.