Kelanitissa Power Station

The Kelanitissa Power Station is a state-owned power station located on the south bank of the Kelani River in the northern part of the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Commissioned in 1964, it is the first thermal power station built in Sri Lanka, after the country gained independence. The facility has a current gross installed capacity of 360 MW, a significant amount when compared to the total installed capacity of nearly 4,086 MW in the year 2017.[1] The facility is owned and operated by the Ceylon Electricity Board.[2]

Kelanitissa Power Station
Country	Sri Lanka
Location	Colombo
Coordinates	6°57′08″N 79°52′44″E
Status	Operational
Commission date	1964
Operator(s)	CEB
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Diesel fuel
Secondary fuel	Naphtha
Turbine technology	Gas turbine Steam turbine
Chimneys	3
Cooling source	Kelani River
Combined cycle?	Yes
Power generation
Units operational	4 × 20 MW 1 × 55 MW 1 × 110 MW 1 × 115 MW
Make and model	GE Power (4) Unknown (3)
Units decommissioned	2 × 20 MW 2 × 25 MW
Nameplate capacity	360 MW
Annual net output	939 GWh

The power station has a total of 10 generation units: two 25 MW boiler steam units, six 20 MW gas turbines, one 115 MW gas turbine, and one 165 MW combined cycle unit. As of 2018, both 25 MW units and two 20 MW units were decommissioned after the commissioning of the combined cycle unit.[3][2] The old units are now used as peak-load units. The 115 MW was sent to Italy for renovations in 2011.[4]

The newest 165 MW naphtha-fuelled combined cycle unit was commissioned in August 2002.[3] It consists of a 110 MW gas turbine and a 55 MW steam turbine, and one exhaust heat recovery boiler.[5] The project was funded by the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan.[2] Initially, the capacity was planned at 150 MW with two or three 37–67 MW units, but a single unit with higher capacity was subsequently chosen.[5]