The construction of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project has been completed and testing level operations for the production of hydroelectricity have begun and that the testing operation began about a month ago.
Project Director D.C.S Elakanda said the construction of the entire project has been completed and it is scheduled to be officially opened on April 24.
He said commercial level operations have also started and that during the test period alone, electricity worth Rs.1,000 million has been generated to the national power grid.
Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project Resident Chief Engineer Priyantha Nanayakkara said the main objective of the Uma-Oya Multipurpose Development Project is to produce an electricity capacity of 120 megawatts and add it to the national power grid. He also said that agriculture and provision of drinking water are also among other main objectives.
The Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project was started in 2010, and the estimated cost for the project was US$ 514 million. Of that, US$ 450 million was to be received as loan aid from the Iranian government, but due to the economic sanctions that Iran faced at the time the entire loan aid of US$ 450 could not be granted for the project by the Iranian government. However, as the first installment of US$ 50 million had already been received from Iran for the project, and since the construction of this multi-purpose project had already started, the work of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Project was continued on the basis of Sri Lanka’s Treasury allocation without stopping it midway.
All the construction activities are carried out by the Farab Institute, which is the contracting company of the Iranian government, and the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau is monitoring the engineering work on behalf of the Ministry of Irrigation.
Under the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project, a dam will first be constructed at the Puhulpola Reservoir and the water collected there will be brought to Diaraba Reservoir through a 04 km tunnel. A dam will be built in the Diaraba Reservoir to store the water brought from the Puhulpola Reservoir and then bring the water through a 15.5 km long tunnel to two turbines located underground in the Ella Karandagolla area.
The two turbines produce 60 megawatts of hydroelectricity separately, and thus an electrical capacity of 120 megawatts is added to the national grid. The electricity produced in this way will be taken to Badulla for a distance of 23 kilometers through 65 high voltage power lines and connected to the national grid. After power generation, the water will be brought to the Alikota Ara reservoir through another four km tunnel and then, the water is brought to Handapanagala and Kuda Oya reservoirs. By doing so, 1,500 hectares of old paddy fields and 4,500 hectares of new paddy fields will be supplied with water for around 15,000 acres of paddy fields for both the Yala and Maha seasons.
Through the Kirindi Oya basin, the Uva Wellassa farmlands will be fertilised and this will enable to fulfill the drinking water needs of the people of Badulla, Monaragala and Bandarawela districts.
Varuna Dayaratne