Cooperation between Iran and Sri Lanka in the huge water project

According to Energy Press, the Umaawiya multi-purpose project is located in the southeast of Sri Lanka and 200 km east of Colombo, the capital of this country, in a relatively deprived and dry area. This huge and unique project includes the construction of “2 dams”, “water transfer tunnel” and “two underground hydropower plants of 60 megawatts each (120 in total)”.

The start date of the project is March 2010 and the completion date is the end of March 2024. According to the schedule, the synchronization date of the first unit is January 27, 2024 and the synchronization date of the second unit is defined as March 29, 2024, as well as the production of 290 gigawatt hours of energy per year, the required water supply 5,000 hectares of agricultural land in the dry region of southeastern Sri Lanka and the transfer of 145 million cubic meters of water from the rainy region to the dry regions are among the goals of this project.

The implementation of this project will transfer the excess water capacity of the Umaawiya and Mahatotilawiya rivers to the low-water area of Uva province, and the annual transfer of 145 million cubic meters of water to low-rainfall areas will lead to the development and prosperity of agriculture in 5,000 hectares in the downstream areas. Two 60 MW underground power plant units will be created at a depth of 750 meters of the ground with a total capacity of 120 MW, and the project’s 15.3 km long long water tunnel will transfer the water from the dams to the power plant.

Also, the 132 kV high voltage power transmission line, 22.7 km long, which connects the electricity produced by Umaawiya power plant to Monragele and Badule power stations and thus connects to the national grid of Sri Lanka.