SPTDE signs contract to expand Sri Lanka’s power transmission network

The National Transmission Network Service Provider (Private) Limited (NTNSP) and Shanghai Electric Power Transmission & Distribution Engineering Co., Ltd., (SPTDE) part of China’s Shanghai Electric Group, signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract recently to expand Sri Lanka’s electricity transmission network. ComCorp will serve as Shanghai Electric’s local Engineering partner, bringing nearly three decades of experience working with electricity utilities in Sri Lanka and the region.

The contract covers Package 2 of the Asian Development Bank-funded Power System Strengthening and Renewable Energy Integration Project (PSSREIP). The scope comprises the construction of a 78 km, 132 kV Matara - Hambantota transmission line, a 7.7 km double-circuit in-and-out connection to Homagama Grid Substation from the existing Horana -Padukka 132 kV transmission line, a 1.5 km single-circuit in-and-out connection to Mirigama Grid Substation from the existing New Habarana - Veyangoda 220 kV transmission line, and a 0.5 km in-and-out connection to Negombo Grid Substation from the existing Katunayake - Bolawatta 132 kV transmission line.

The new lines and connections are expected to increase the amount of electricity the network can carry and improve the reliability of supply. The work forms part of a wider effort to prepare Sri Lanka’s grid for more wind and solar generation. As new generation comes online, expanding the transmission network helps carry electricity from where it is produced to where households and businesses need it.

The contract builds on Shanghai Electric’s previous work in Sri Lanka, which includes the 220 kV Veyangoda Grid Substation, the 220/132 kV New Chilaw Grid Substation and a two-bay extension at the New Anuradhapura Grid Substation. The company has also worked on 220 kV transmission infrastructure associated with the Norochcholai Power Plant. Its international portfolio includes high-voltage transmission and substation projects in Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Maldives and Myanmar, with capabilities spanning engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning.

The project pairs Shanghai Electric’s experience delivering high-voltage infrastructure internationally with ComCorp’s experience coordinating engineering work in Sri Lanka. That local experience is relevant to a package that spans a long-distance transmission corridor in the south and three separate grid connections. For ComCorp, the appointment builds on its work with international engineering companies serving electricity utilities in Sri Lanka and the region.

NTNSP Chairman Nusith Kumaratunga and Chief Executive Officer Eng. N. S. Wettasinghe attended the signing alongside Director of Design Eng. Anuruddha Thilakarathna, Project Director Eng.S. W. Kumarawadu and Project Manager Eng.R. Jeewagan. Other senior NTNSP officials and engineers were present, together with representatives of SPTDE and ComCorp.