The Broadlands Hydropower Project is a run-of-river type project planned to build in the Kelani River. The key objective of the project is to harness the hydro potential downstream of the existing Polpitiya Power Station. The project will have an installed capacity of 35 MW. The main sites of the project are located about 90km north – east of Colombo, near the town Kithulgala. The main components included in the projects are Main dam, Diversion dam, Main Tunnel, Diversion Tunnel, Power Station with two 17.5MW Turbine Generator units, Switch Yard and Transmission Line. The Broadlands plant is planned to generate 126 GWh of electrical energy annually. However, Ceylon Electricity Board has decided to maintain a firm water release to safeguard White Water Rafting sport in Kithulgala area and as a result there will be a reduction in the annual energy generation. The water release is done through a Mini Hydropower Plant to minimize the loss in generation.
The Cabinet approval for project implementation on Design Build Basis was granted in 2006 by securing funds arranged by the successful contractor. After the successful evaluation of the bids China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC) was selected as the main Contractor of the project and contract agreement was signed in end of 2010. The total project cost is USD 82 million. The 85% of funding is provided by Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and the balance was obtained from Hatton National Bank. The loan agreements with two banks were signed in 2013. The Contractor mobilized to the site and commenced construction works in August 2013.
The construction work is in Progress in parallel at Main Dam, Main Tunnel, Diversion Tunnel, Power House & Switchyard Site. The physical progress is 70% at present and the Project is scheduled to be completed in January 2021.
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The Broadlands Hydropower Project is the first large scale hydropower plant which has obtained CDM registration in Sri Lanka.
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