Mitsubishi Corporation to Install Habarana-Veyangoda Power Lines in Sri Lanka

A three-company consortium comprised of Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), J-Power Systems Corporation (JPS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, and Ceylex Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd. (Ceylex) of Sri Lanka has been awarded the contract to run overhead electricity transmission cables*¹ between the cities of Habarana and Veyangoda in Sri Lanka. The cables will be supplied by MC and JPS while Ceylex will be in charge of supply for the remaining equipment as well as installation and construction works. The project is expected to reach completion around October 2019 at a cost of some 6 billion yen and is being financed through a yen loan secured by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Sri Lanka’s state-controlled and largest power company.

 

Energy efficiency in Sri Lanka is currently a matter of concern given the electricity network’s aging infrastructure and the rates of electricity loss*² during transmission, extremely high when compared with other countries in Asia,. The power lines will be installed in an important corridor in the island’s power grid, running form the city of Habarana in north central Sri Lanka to Veyangoda on the outskirts of the capital. It is also the first set of low-loss high-capacity cables to be run in Sri Lanka. Developed in Japan, this kind of transmission cables is highly rated, equipped to reduce electricity loss during transmission by about 20-25% per annum, when compared to conventional cables, thereby also contributing to a reduction in CO2 emissions.

 

Through this project, MC is hoping to make a contribution to Sri Lanka’s efforts to secure a stable supply of electricity and to the country’s overall economic development. The move is also consistent with Japanese government initiatives aimed at increasing the export of high-quality infrastructure.

 

*1 Overhead electricity transmission cables are power lines mounted on steel towers and used to transport electrical energy over long distances.

*2 Rate of transmission loss refers to the volume of electricity lost in the process of transmission from point of generation to point of distribution due to resistance in the power lines.

 

Headquarters : No. 50, Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 02, Sri Lanka

Established : 1969

Main Business : Power generation, transmission and distribution

Representative : Mrs. Yamuna Samarasinghe (General Manager)

 

Headquarters : 2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Established : 1954

Main Business : MC is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates business across virtually every industry including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, foods, and environmental business. MC’s current activities are expanding far beyond its traditional trading operations as its diverse business ranges from natural resources development to investment in retail business, infrastructure, financial products and manufacturing of industrial goods.

Representative : Takehiko Kakiuchi, President and CEO

 

Headquarters : 5-1-1 Hidaka-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki, Japan

Established : 2001

Business Operations : Research, development, design, manufacturing, and export of electric power cables and accessories, overhead power transmission lines, and related systems

Representative : Yoshinobu Suzuki, President

 

Headquarters : Parkland, 17^th Floor, 33, Park Street, Colombo 2, Sri Lanka

Established : 2016 (name changed from LTL Projects in 1998)

Main Business : Engineering, procurement and construction contracting services

Representative : H.D. Chaminda, Chief Executive Officer