The first power plant to generate electricity using garbage in Sri Lanka will be opened by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on the 17th of this month at Kerawalapitiya, Hendala, said the Minister of Power and Energy Dullas Alahapperuma.
The power plant is planned to generate 10 megawatts using 700 tons of garbage daily and will operate by collecting waste from the area.
The Minister further said that the use of waste collected in this manner for the generation of electricity in the entire district is also environmentally important, the ministers media unit in a communique said.
In addition, the Ministry of Power and Energy plans to launch the first project to generate electricity from biogas using biodegradable waste in the Matara District.
The project, which is being constructed in Kotawila in the Matara District, is planned to add 400 Kilowatts to the national grid using 40 tons of garbage daily.
The Minister said that as the Minister in charge, he has been given the challenge of increasing the contribution of renewable energy to 70% of the national grid by the year 2023.
He said he will fulfill his responsibility to overcome the challenge and provide uninterrupted, quality, reliable and affordable electricity to electricity consumers.
Accordingly, steps will be taken in the future to implement the process of generating electricity from garbage as well as the process of generating electricity from biogas at the district level covering the entire island, said Minister Alahapperuma.
