President Rajapaksa and Visiting Japanese Dy Premier visit Upper Kotmale hydro power project

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada, who is on a two-day state visit, paid  an inspection tour of the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project saturday (May 05).

This power plant being the last mega hydro power project was launched in 2006 with financial assistance from the government of Japan.

The150 Mega Watt (MW) Upper Kotmale hydropower plant had been  proposed for over a decade but ran into hurdles over environmental concerns.  Its construction stagnated till 2005 before it was fast-tracked by the present Government with funding assistance from the Japanese Government to the tune of US$ 487 million. The Sri Lankan Government spent an estimated US$ 75 million on the project.  

Sri Lanka was one of the first countries in South Asia to tap into its water resources to produce hydroelectricity. This is the last large scale power source produced from hydro in Sri Lanka.

Japanese ambassador Nobuhito Hobo, Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, Deputy Minister Premalal Jayasekara, Minister Susil Premajayantha and several other dignitaries accompanied the President on the visit.