The government will add 250 to 300 megawatts of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to the national grid by the end of 2026, Deputy Power Minister Arkam Ilyas announced, framing the move as a flagship measure to stabilise renewable supply and improve dispatch flexibility.
Addressing the media, Ilyas said the administration has facilitated 700 to 1,000 MW of renewable energy capacity additions to the grid since taking office in 2025, rejecting industry claims that authorities have been discouraging clean energy investment.
“If anyone says we are discouraging renewable energy, we cannot accept that. Most of these projects are already in the process of being connected,” he said.
The Deputy Minister acknowledged that technical constraints — grid availability, transmission bottlenecks and system balancing requirements — have prevented immediate integration of all renewable projects approved to date. BESS, he said, is being introduced for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history to store excess renewable output and even out dispatch.
A 100 MW battery storage tender has already been awarded, while a 160 MW tender is currently under evaluation. The Cabinet has separately approved a further 250 MW project and a 50 MW allocation, taking the near-term pipeline to roughly 300 MW.
“The rollout of battery storage will create greater capacity to absorb renewable power into the grid, particularly solar energy,” Ilyas said.
The announcement follows a cabinet decision earlier this quarter to scale up storage, and complements ongoing wind and hybrid procurements including the 150 MW Kondachchi wind and BESS project with ADB co-financing. WindForce has also secured an IFC loan to fund its own battery storage rollout. PUCSL’s tariff revision cycle has flagged a need for storage to absorb intermittent renewable supply without destabilising the transmission network, a concern raised during the grid stabilisation software procurement.
