• To add MW 540 battery storage capacity to national grid

The Government expects El Niño to pose no major electricity supply risk during the daytime in the first three months of next year, but is preparing for possible night-time shortages by adding 540 megawatts (MW) of battery storage capacity to the national grid before April 2027, Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka said.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (7), he said the country was expected to receive more rainfall during the remaining months of this year, while increased solar power generation during the daytime would also help prevent a major electricity shortage.

“If there is going to be an issue, it will be during the first three months of next year. There will not be an issue during the daytime. However, there can be issues during the night when solar power cannot be generated,” he said.

Karunathilaka said the Government was expanding battery storage capacity to store excess electricity generated during the day and use it after sunset.

“We have already introduced battery storage systems as a solution to the problem that could arise at night. We are working to install 540 MW of battery storage capacity to the system before April 2027. We have also set a longer-term target of installing 1,200 MW of capacity by the end of 2029,” he said.

The Minister said most of the tender process for the battery storage programme had already been completed, while a special committee had been appointed with Cabinet approval to address issues that had arisen during the process.

He said the Government expected to complete the remaining work before April 2027, allowing the planned battery storage capacity to be added to the national grid in time to address any potential night-time electricity shortage.

“We hope that we will be able to prevent the problem that could possibly arise during the night,” he said.