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Iran launches a giant hydropower project in Sri Lanka: Iran and Sri Lanka have inaugurated a 120 MW joint hydropower plant in the South Asian island as part of the long awaited USD 514 mn irrigation initiative, according to a statement. The plant will contribute to the national electricity supply by generating 290 GWh of electrical capacity each year. The project was developed by Iran’s Farab Engineering Company.
Tackling Sri Lanka’s water shortage crisis: The Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP) aims to divert approximately 145 mn cbm of excess water annually from the Uma Oya basin to the Kirindi Oya basin in efforts to address the water scarcity crisis in Sri Lanka’s southeastern region, the statement added. The project will supply water to 6k hectares of farmland — 4.5k hectares of new land and 1.5k hectares of existing agricultural land, the statement added. It will also provide 39 mn cbm drinking and industrial water annually to three separate districts.
How will they do it? “The key components of the project include the construction of two reservoirs, Puhulpola and Dyaraba, a 3.98 km connector tunnel linking the reservoirs, a 15.2 km main tunnel, an underground power plant, transmission lines, and associated infrastructure,” the statement explains.
UOMDP has been more than a decade in the making: Construction of the project — the second largest irrigation project in Sri Lanka — began in 2010 through funding from the Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI), which initially contributed USD 50 mn for 3 years, the statement said. The EDBI however was unable to continue providing financial support after international sanctions were imposed on Iran. Sri Lanka (in partnership with Farab) eventually opted to continue the project using state funds, but were also delayed due to technical issues, social impacts, financial obstacles, and the Coronavirus pandemic.
About Farab: Farab was established in 1992 and began operating as Iran’s main contractor in the field of energy and water, according to its website. In 2006, Farab secured its first international contract for a hydropower plant for a 220 MW station in Tajikistan. By 2015, Farab had achieved the record of 10 GW of electricity output in hydropower and thermal power plants, which included hydropower plants in Kenya and Iraq. In 2016, the firm entered the wastewater treatment sector, signing its first contract for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Lavizan, Iran.
