Sunshine Holdings adds 2.4MW to the national grid
Sunshine Energy (Pvt) Ltd. (SEL), a fully-owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s diversified conglomerate Sunshine Holdings PLC, recently opened its third hydropower plant Elgin in the Lindula Region.
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 their mini-hydropower plants, the company said in a public announcement.
The Elgin plant was ceremoniously opened by Sunshine Holdings Group Managing Director Vish Govindasamy in the presence of Sunshine Energy’s senior management, employees of Sunshine Energy, 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 when, by 2050, Sri Lanka aspires to become a carbon-neutral country by harvesting and developing renewable energy sources such as biomass, hydropower, solar and wind.
Speaking after the opening, Mr. Govindasamy said, “Today, Sunshine Holdings’ energy business sits squarely in the nation-building space with the potential to contribute significantly towards the annual 6- 7 per cent 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. In preparation for this future, Sunshine
Energy is gearing as a responsible business entity in Sri Lanka through the investments in hydropower plants. The newly-opened Elgin hydropower plant further promotes Sunshine Energy’s extensive adoption of energy efficiency platforms in the pursuit of sustainable development, economic growth, creation of local value and prosperity.”
The statement said that 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.