Tokyo Cement’s second biomass power plant begins operations in Mahiyanganaya
www.dailymirror.lk, 11th April 2014
The Tokyo Cement Group announced the commencement of operations at its 5 MW biomass power plant in Mahiyanganaya recently. Constructed with an investment of Rs.2.4 billion, the facility is the second biomass power plant operated by Tokyo Cement under its energy arm, following the company’s 10MW plant in Trincomalee.
“Our success with the plant in Trincomalee, gives us confidence that this plant will not only supply clean, stable energy to an under-served region but will also help stabilize the electrical grid, supporting the CEB. Consistent, stable power generation will allow for small and medium scale industries in the region to perform better without the fear of outages,” Tokyo Power, General Manager, E. Kugapriya stated.
The Mahiyanganaya plant is expected to contribute approximately 40 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually to the national grid.
Gliricidia is a fast-growing tree legume, which is available in abundance in the dry zone. The fuel is to be obtained from plantations of Gliricidia sepium, or from farmers in the region who grow these trees through Tokyo Cement’s out-grower agricultural programs.
Tokyo cement plans to utilize the facility to supply electricity to 30,000 rural households, thereby allowing the farmers that grow and supply Gliricidia, to directly benefit from their involvement in supplying biomass for the community’s energy consumption.
Popularity of biomass power generation has been on the rise in Sri Lanka as a method of mitigating the impacts of high electricity tariffs and emissions of greenhouse gases. The Mahiyanganaya plant will directly prevent emissions of approximately 28,122 Metric Tons of greenhouse gasses that would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere.
“Through the Gliricidia growing programs, we have forged many strong bonds with local farming communities. We decided early on that we wanted them to take ownership of this project that not only leads to the electrification of their homes, but will also stimulate their local economy.
“We’ve projected that this Tokyo Power Dendro plant, will contribute Rs.24 million per month in direct cash flow to farmers in the region. Thereby making this a truly self-sustaining initiative,” Tokyo Cement, Agricultural Outsourcing Manager Salinda Kandapola noted.
The fuel requirement of Gliricidia is to be obtained from the dry zone of Sri Lanka, especially the Uva, Central, North Central and Eastern provinces where they are capable of thriving in dry zones. Growing a large population of the tree legume, will not only fix CO2 through the process of photosynthesis but will also enrich soils through biological nitrogen fixation. The foliage of the trees will also provide good fodder to livestock, especially cattle and goats in the region, an industry currently being developed in the region for milk production.