Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved a 300-megawatt Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) procurement plan aimed at stabilizing the national electricity grid as solar power generation rapidly outpaces integration capacity.
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) accelerated the project timeline from 2032 to 2028-2029 after discovering that peak demand was growing two years faster than projections in the 2023-2042 Long-Term Power Generation Plan.
Two-Pronged Approach
The plan comprises two components. The first involves 25 standalone battery units, each rated at 10 MW with 40 MWh storage capacity, totaling 250 MW. These will connect to the Ceylon Electricity Board’s medium-voltage distribution network under a Build-Own-Operate model with 15-year operational periods managed by private developers.
The second component adds 50 MW of battery capacity connected directly to existing solar plants. This tranche will be procured through competitive bidding managed by the National System Operator’s Renewable Energy Procurement Division, enabling solar producers to store daytime excess for peak-hour dispatch.
Solar Exceeding Limits
Energy Minister Nalinda Jayatissa emphasized the urgency of the storage rollout. “Just continuing to install solar panels won’t work unless we bring in these batteries to store energy everywhere,” he said, adding that the storage infrastructure would allow Sri Lanka to expand renewable energy adoption significantly.
Solar power generation has already surpassed the integration limits established in the country’s long-term energy plan, making grid-scale battery storage essential to managing renewable energy volatility and ensuring supply stability during peak demand periods.