The Thambapavani Wind Farm named after Thambapanni and Pavan meaning wing in Sinhalese. Also called Mannar Island Wind Farm or Mannar Wind Farm) is a 100-megawatt wind farm which was built on the southern coast of the Mannar Island, in Sri Lanka. The project would cost approximately US$200 million, 78% of which will be borne by the Asian Development Bank,[1] while the remaining 22% will be borne by the developers, the Ceylon Electricity Board. Identification of land plots and ownership has already begun.[2] It is currently regarded as the largest wind farm in Sri Lanka and it is also the first wind power plant to be owned by the Ceylon Electricity Board.[3][4]
| Mannar Island Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Mannar Island from 2012, looking west | |
 Location within Northern Province | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Location | Mannar Island |
| Coordinates | 09°03′01″N 79°47′13″E / 9.05028°N 79.78694°E |
| Status | Under Construction |
| Construction began | March 2014 |
| Commission date | 8 December 2020 |
| Construction cost | US$ 200 million |
| Owner(s) | CEB |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Onshore |
| Power generation | |
| Make and model | Vestas |
| Nameplate capacity | 103.5 MW |
Sri Lanka largest wind farm and first wind farm own by state-owned company Ceylon Electricity Board.[5] Mannar wind power project awarded to Denmark bases Wind turbine manufacture company Vestas Asian Pacific, a global leader in installing wind power plants.[6]
The wind farm project commenced in March 2014 and it was expected to commence operations in end-2018, under the request of Gobba Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya. Tenders for the construction will be called in April 2016.[2] The wind farm is part of a larger 300-megawatt mixed-ownership wind power development plan on the Mannar Island.[7]
It was officially opened by the then Sri Lankan Prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on 8 December 2020.[4][8][9]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ adbheadhoncho (2017-10-24). "Wind Power Generation Project". Asian Development Bank. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ a b "17 Billion Rupees for a 100MW wind power plant project from Samurdhi Bank". Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ "Sri Lanka's Largest wind power plant declared open". Daily News. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ a b LADDUWAHETTY, RAVI. "First CEB owned and Lanka's largest wind farm opens in Mannar today". Daily News. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ "Sri Lanka's largest Wind Power Farm 'Thambapavani' added to the National Grid". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- ^ "Largest wind power plant Thambapavani declared open | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- ^ Nizam, Ifham (5 May 2015). "Mannar's wind power potential to be tapped in one go". The Island. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ Weerasooriya, Sahan. "Wind power in Mannar,now a reality". Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ "Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka's largest wind power plant 'Thambapavani' declared open". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08. None of the actual people who lead these projects were ever given the recognition they deserve and instead the politicians have tried to plaster their names over the project.
External links
edit- Wijedasa, Namini (15 June 2014). "Wind power projects in Mannar run into storm". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- Ariyawansha, Niranjala (1 November 2015). "Mannar Island Wind Power Project: CEB enraged losing it to private sector". Ceylon Today. Ceylon Today. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.