LANDMARK PROJECTS
Built to a standard.
Sri Lanka's clean energy story began with hydropower schemes still running 40 years on. These projects show the engineering, funding and care that new initiatives should match. Each one links to who built it and to an official source.
Foundations
The Mahaweli hydropower schemes of the 1980s, built with international partners.
Kotmale Hydropower Project
Kotmale Oya, Central Province · 1985 · 201 MW
The most upstream Mahaweli headwork, generating around 420 GWh a year from a 174 million m³ reservoir.
- Main contractorSkanska
- Funder (about 60%)Swedish development aid (today Sida)
- OwnerCeylon Electricity Board
Victoria Dam and Power Station
Mahaweli Ganga, Central Province · 1985
Built with £113m of British grant aid, providing hydropower and water storage for Mahaweli irrigation.
- Main contractor (joint venture)Balfour Beatty
- Funder (£113m grant)UK Overseas Development Administration
- OwnerCeylon Electricity Board
Randenigala Dam and Power Station
Mahaweli Ganga, Central Province · 1986
A 94 m rockfill dam holding the largest reservoir of the accelerated Mahaweli programme (861 million m³), planned and built entirely by German firms.
- Funder (loan)KfW Development Bank
- OwnerCeylon Electricity Board
Diversification
Wind and solar join hydropower on the grid.
Thambapavani (Mannar) Wind Farm
Mannar Island, Northern Province · 2020 · 100 MW
Sri Lanka's first state-owned and largest wind farm, bringing clean power and investment to the Northern Province.
- Turbine supplierVestas
- Funder (US$200m loan)Asian Development Bank
- OwnerCeylon Electricity Board
The modern grid
Storage and grid upgrades that let renewables carry more of the load.
Kolonnawa Battery Energy Storage System
Kolonnawa Grid Substation, Western Province · Contract approved 2026 · 100 MWh
Sri Lanka's first utility-scale battery, storing daytime solar and steadying the grid as renewables grow.
- FunderAsian Development Bank
- ImplementerCeylon Electricity Board
Power System Strengthening and Renewable Energy Integration
National grid · Approved 2024
New transmission lines, a modernised medium-voltage network and upgraded grid protection so more renewable power can be used.
- Funder (US$200m loan)Asian Development Bank
- ImplementerCeylon Electricity Board
- Distribution partnerLanka Electricity Company (LECO)
What good looks like
A yardstick for upcoming projects, drawn from the ones above.
01
International engineering
Designed and built to recognised international standards, as Kotmale, Victoria and Randenigala were.
02
Open procurement
Contractors chosen by international competitive bidding, as with the Kolonnawa battery.
03
Independent evaluation
Published reviews after completion, like the UK's evaluation of Victoria, so lessons carry forward.
04
Environment and communities
Assessed impacts, fair resettlement and local benefit from the start.
05
Built to last
Planned for decades of upkeep: the Mahaweli plants still supply the grid 40 years on.