Sunshine Holdings opens 2.4MW hydropower plant
Sunshine Energy (Pvt) Ltd. (SEL), a fullyowned subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s diversified conglomerate Sunshine Holdings PLC, opened its third hydropower plant in recently in Lindula in the Nuwara Eliya district.
Sunshine Energy’s Elgin plant generates 2.4MW, contributing to the national grid. With the addition of the third plant, Sunshine Energy now contributes close to 7MW to the national grid through its minihydropower plants.
The Elgin plant was ceremoniously opened by Sunshine Holdings Group Managing Director Vish Govindasamy in the presence of Sunshine Energy’s senior management, employees, government officials and other dignitaries.
Sunshine Energy’s foray into expanding on sustainable and greener energy opportunities falls in line with Sri Lanka’s national plan of developing renewable energy, whereas by 2050, Sri Lanka aspires to become a carbon-neutral country harvesting and developing renewable energy sources such as biomass, hydropower, solar and wind.
“Today, Sunshine Holdings’ energy business sits squarely in the nationbuilding space, with the potential to contribute significantly towards the annual 6-7 percent increase in power demand.
“Sri Lanka is gifted with several types of renewable energy sources, and with the national vision aligned towards becoming a carbon-neutral nation, the demand for such sources is definitely on the rise,” Govindasamy said.
The completion of the Elgin hydropower plant has also led to several initiatives where Sunshine Energy got directly involved in improving the infrastructure and the quality of life within its operating areas.
These initiatives included renovating key infrastructures of the area including roads, drains, culverts, bridges and community halls, enhancing the livelihood of people by improving the electrification connectivity in the area, which included religious establishments, and providing employment opportunities for the local community.
In collaboration with Global Hydro Energy (GHE), Sunshine Energy has built a comprehensive plant monitoring system where a single window viewing screen enables the company to monitor how much power is being generated at each of their plants and monitor the working capacities of turbines and other key components.
Sunshine Energy’s quest towards green energy production gathered momentum in February 2019 when it installed its first rooftop solar PV system in Kelaniya. Currently, the company is operating with three rooftop solar projects, contributing approximately 1MW to the national grid with a combined capacity in excess of 7.5MW.