Koolair Power Station

Last updated
Kankesanthurai Power Station
Country Sri Lanka
Location Kankesanthurai
Coordinates 9°48′40″N80°02′07″E / 9.8111°N 80.0353°E / 9.8111; 80.0353
StatusDecommissioned
Construction began1996
Commission date 4 November 1998
Decommission date2009
Operator(s)Koolair Ventures Power
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Fuel oil
Power generation
Nameplate capacity 19.4 MW
Annual net output 56 GWh (2005)
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The Kankesanthurai Power Station (also commonly referred to as the Koolair Power Station) was a fuel oil-run thermal power station which was commissioned as part of the urgent plan by the Ceylon Electricity Board to overcome the 1990s power crisis. Construction of the power station began in August 1998, and the power station was commissioned three months later on 4 November 1998 in Kankesanthurai, in the Jaffna Peninsula of Sri Lanka. It was the biggest power station in the Jaffna region, at that time.

Fuel oil A heavy fraction obtained from petroleum distillation that is burned to generate power

Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. In general terms, fuel oil is any liquid fuel that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash point of approximately 42 °C (108 °F) and oils burned in cotton or wool-wick burners. Fuel oil is made of long hydrocarbon chains, particularly alkanes, cycloalkanes, and aromatics. The term fuel oil is also used in a stricter sense to refer only to the heaviest commercial fuel that can be obtained from crude oil, i.e., heavier than gasoline and naphtha.

Ceylon Electricity Board state-owned power company in Sri Lanka

The Ceylon Electricity Board - CEB, is the largest electricity company in Sri Lanka. With a market share of nearly 100%, it controls all major functions of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and retailing in Sri Lanka. It is one of the only two on-grid electricity companies in the country; the other being Lanka Electricity Company (LECO). The company earned approximately LKR 204.7 billion in 2014, with a total of nearly 5.42 million consumer accounts. It is a government owned and controlled utility of Sri Lanka that takes care of the general energy facilities of the island. The Ministry of Power and Energy is the responsible ministry above the CEB. Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), established by an CEB Act No. 17 of 1969, is under legal obligation to develop and maintain an efficient, coordinated and economical system of Electricity supply in accordance with any Licenses issue

Kankesanthurai Town in Sri Lanka

Kankesanthurai, colloquially known as KKS, is a port suburb, fishing division and resort hub of the Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Formerly an electoral district, Kankesanthurai is home to the Kankesanthurai beach, Keerimalai Naguleswaram temple and the Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple. The port's harbour has served as an arrival and departure point for pilgrims since classical antiquity and is named after the Sri Lankan Tamil god Murukan. Kankesanthurai suburb has many fishing villages and Grama Niladhari and is a northern part of Valikamam, one of the three regions of ancient habitation on the Jaffna peninsula, located on the peninsula's northern coast, 12 miles from Jaffna city, 85 miles from Mannar and 155 miles from Trincomalee.

Contents

Despite having an original installed capacity of 19.4 MW , the power station had mostly operated in the 8-15 MW range due to conflict damage caused by artillery fire to the plant (and neighbouring Kankesanthurai Cement Factory) in May 2000. The operators were unable to repair the damage due to the insurance company rejecting the claim, stating that it was due to war, and not due to terrorism for which it was originally insured for. [1]

Sri Lankan Civil War Armed conflict in Sri Lanka (1983–2009) between the government and the separatist organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The Sri Lankan Civil War ; was a civil war fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on 23 July 1983, there was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a 26-year military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009, bringing the civil war to an end.

Artillery Heavy ranged guns or weapons

Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons built to launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry's small arms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and led to heavy, fairly immobile siege engines. As technology improved, lighter, more mobile field artillery cannons developed for battlefield use. This development continues today; modern self-propelled artillery vehicles are highly mobile weapons of great versatility providing the large share of an army's total firepower.

History

The plant equipment was imported in 1996 and initially commissioned in Ethul Kotte (in January 1997) and Malabe (in 1998) as separate power stations with capacities of 11.2 MW and 8.2 MW. [1] [2] [3]

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Administrative Capital in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, commonly known as Kotte, is the official, administrative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is a satellite city and within the urban area of Sri Lanka's de facto economic and legislative capital, Colombo. Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Municipal Council area is bounded in:

Malabe Suburb in Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka

Malabe is a suburb of Colombo in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka. It is situated on the New Kandy Road about 10 km (6.2 mi) away from the centre of the commercial capital Colombo. This suburb is a very important economic center in Colombo city.

Due to the protests and complaints against the high levels of noise of up to 100dB caused by the operation of the Kotte Power Station in the residential area, it was transferred 400 km (250 mi) to its final location at Kankesanthurai in the Jaffna District, in August 1998. The plant operated only for three months in Kotte - generating a total of 9 GWh prior to transfer. [4]

The decibel is a unit of measurement used to express the ratio of one value of a power or field quantity to another, on a logarithmic scale, the logarithmic quantity being called the power level or field level, respectively. It can be used to express a change in value or an absolute value. In the latter case, it expresses the ratio of a value to a fixed reference value; when used in this way, a suffix that indicates the reference value is often appended to the decibel symbol. For example, if the reference value is 1 volt, then the suffix is "V", and if the reference value is one milliwatt, then the suffix is "m".

Jaffna District Administrative District in Northern, Sri Lanka

Jaffna District is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the city of Jaffna.

The Malabe Power Station too faced similar concerns about noise, before changes were made to reduce sound output from 102dB to 49dB. With increasing demand in the Jaffna Peninsula, the facility too was subsequently shifted from Malabe in December 1999, to the newly created facility in Kankesanthurai. Seventeen generators were relocated in a period of three months. [4]

Electricity generation history (GWh) [2]
 1997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Ethul Kotte Power Station9------------
Malabe Power Station-182----------
Kankesanthurai Power Station-232415526253756421951

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Power drama in Jaffna peninsula: Dispute over insurance claim affects electricity supplies". The Sunday Times. 3 February 2002. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 Jayawardana, Kishali Pinto (13 April 1997). "Landmark petition against noisy power plant: Kotte kids seek right to life". The Sunday Times . Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  3. ↑ CEB Historical Data Book 1969-2015. Ceylon Electricity Board. p. 24.
  4. 1 2 "Koolair Ventures Power". Koolair Group (Private) Limited. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
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