Sri Lanka’s first commercial-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are scheduled to be connected to the national electricity grid in early September.
The projects, planned to operate near 16 electricity transmission substations, have now reached the final stage of construction.
According to government reports, the battery systems were brought into the country through the Port of Colombo in three shipments during May and June.
Construction of a battery energy storage project being developed by a private company near the Anuradhapura transmission substation is currently around 85% complete.
The systems will store excess electricity generated from solar power during the daytime and release it to the national grid during periods of high electricity demand at night. This is expected to reduce electricity generation from diesel power plants at night and improve the stability of the national grid.
Each battery energy storage project will have the capacity to add 10 megawatts (10 MW) to the national electricity system.
The National System Operator Ltd. (NSO) will be responsible for the control and management of the systems, while maintenance will be carried out by the companies operating the respective projects.
The main objective of the projects is to maintain a stable electricity supply with minimal environmental impact, with the government stating that electricity consumers are expected to benefit from the initiative in the future.
Meanwhile, procurement activities have also begun to establish similar battery energy storage systems near a further 23 transmission substations across the country.
