Construction of commercial-scale battery energy storage systems planned at 16 electricity transmission substations across the country has reached its final stage.
The battery systems were brought into Sri Lanka through the Colombo Port on three occasions in May and June. Construction of a battery energy storage project near the Anuradhapura substation, being developed by a private company, is around 85% complete.
The systems are designed to store surplus electricity generated by solar power systems during the daytime and release it back into the national grid at night according to demand.
The project is expected to help maintain the stability of the national power grid while reducing the amount of electricity generated by diesel power plants during nighttime hours.
Each battery energy storage project will be capable of supplying 10 MW of electricity to the national grid. Control and management of the systems will be handled by National System Operator Ltd. (NSO), under the Ministry of Energy.
Maintenance of the battery systems will be assigned to the respective companies. The projects aim to provide a stable energy supply while minimising environmental impact.
The government is also working to pass on the benefits gained from these projects to consumers in the future.
Procurement activities are currently underway to install battery energy storage systems at a further 23 substations.
Officials of the companies involved in the construction said electricity stored in the systems could begin to be supplied to the national grid according to demand from early September.
