Saturday Nov 23, 2024
Saturday Nov 23, 2024
Tuesday, 4 April 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has issued carbon credits to Lower Kothmale Mini Hydro Power Project of Vidullanka PLC under the clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for the carbon emission reductions achieved by the project. The 4MW project is owned and operated by Lower Kotmale Oya Hydro Power Ltd., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vidullanka PLC.
The CDM is the methodology defined and implemented as per the Kyoto Protocol, which enables the emission reduction projects to obtain the Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) to trade under emission trading schemes. This allows the carbon emitters to set off their emissions by purchasing CERs from those who reduce the carbon from the atmosphere. The UNFCCC implemented the CDM in order to achieve two objectives; Enabling the developing countries to access funds to sustainable development activities leading to the UNFCCC’s goal of preventing the dangerous climate change, and the other – stimulating sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialised countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction limitation targets.
Lower Kothmale Oya Hydro Power Project generated and supplied 38.8 GWh of electricityduring the period of two years since its commissioning using the flow of Lower Kothmale Oya. This has enabled the project to reduce the carbon emission and improve the carbon footprint of Sri Lanka by 24,450 metric tons, which would have been released to the atmosphere in order to produce the same unit of electricity using fossil based fuels.
The carbon emission reduction accreditation by the UNFCCC to the Lower Kothmale Mini Hydro Power Project is also an example how the Small Hydro Power Industry of Sri Lanka is contributing to the fight against global climate change. The small hydro power projects utilises a renewable indigenous source to generate electricity which unless otherwise would be produced using the fossil fuels imported, leading to foreign exchange outflow and the emission of dangerous greenhouse gases. The industry is also actively engaged in protecting the forests, especially in the feeding stream catchment areas as the power plants need vegetation cover in the catchment to sustain the rainfall and retain the river flow.
The Sri Lanka Small Hydro Power industry which started in the late 90s has become globally renowned with the rapid growth and the technical excellence it has demonstrated in Sri Lanka. It is also considered to be a model how the state can promote and actively support the private sector leading it to become world class and export its technical excellence overseas. Presently, Sri Lanka Small Hydro Power entities have an active presence in the East-African region as developers and technical partners. In that line, Vidullanka PLC also commissioned its first overseas small hydro power plant in Maziba, Kabale district of Uganda in March 2017.The company is also in the process of constructing a 1.4MW small hydro power plant in Badulla district, which is expected to be commissioned to the grid during Q3 of FY 2017/18.
