Sri Lanka’s Hayleys Fentons Limited will be awarded the 50 MegaWatt wind power plant in Mannar at 4.65 US cents a unit, Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy Udayanga Hemapala said.
Last year it was announced that state-run Ceylon Electricity Board would award the plant to Windforce Plc at 4.88 cents a unit, which was the lowest responsive bid.
The Hayleys bid was excluded on technical issues. The plant is going to the firm following an appeal board process, officials said.
Mannar wind systme has high energy potential allowing lower prices, and the Ceylon Electricity Board’s 103.5 MegaWatt plant is recording over 40 percent plant factor after bird radar.
When the radar detects birds, it stops the turbine halting energy production.
Sri Lanka Mannar CEB wind farm plant factor above 40-pct
Data showed that in 2023, the 103.5 MW CEB wind farm had a plant factor of 43 percent.
Bird radar could be costing about 4 to 5 percent loss of plant factor, according to officials.