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by Douglas Ayling

Imagine a room as long as three buses. The ceiling arches into darkness 30 meters above your head and there is the constant reverberation of machinery. There is nothing remarkable about this room, except that it lies at sea level, in the heart of a mountain. Here at the Kukule power plant, for the first time in Sri Lanka, an underground hydropower project is nearing completion.

Foreign correspondents from around the world were invited to visit this plant, and on 24th March they were shown around the 7.3 km of tunnelling which channels water from the Kukule Ganga into the colossal Power Cavern underground, and then out into the river once more.

Driving downwards through access tunnels, we entered a dusty, humid atmosphere as flaccid polythene intestines pushed more air into the network of tunnels.

Here and there, water drips from rock face that is yet to be sealed with shotcrete, but in many places, the exposed rock is non-porous and will be left bare.

Three weeks ago all excavation work was completed - the hulk of a boring machine lies prone outside in the sunlight - and engineers are now working seven days a week to line the existing tunnels.

The history of this project goes back to the early sixties, when the first proposal for damming the Kukule Ganga was mooted. The original proposal involved a 100 meter high dam which would have dispossessed 1000 families and flooded vast tracts of surrounding countryside.

As we approach the present dam, the road follows a contour of the valley which will, next year be submerged under four million cubic meters of water. The dam before us is just 20 meters high and represents a significant modification of the past proposals. Only 10 to 15 families will be displaced according to CEB, by the 88 hectare surface area of impounded water; and there are no plans to use the lake for fish-farming, irrigation or mains water supply.

Part of the reason for this more conservative implementation has perhaps been the influence of environmental concern. The site of the Kukule Dam borders on the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and visibly the dam itself is surrounded by a dense canopy of tall trees which cling to mountainsides in a precarious balance which is not merely literal.

This area of rainforest is, after all, the last viable area of primary tropical rainforest in Sri Lanka. The rich diversity of plant and animal life here has deservedly earned Sinharaja the recognition of UNESCO as a World Heritage site. In terms of those species endemic to Sri Lanka, this area of rainforest is sanctuary to 21 endemic species of reptile, 18 of the 20 exclusively Sri Lankan bird species, and more than 140 of the 217 endemic Sri Lankan tree species with a sub-canopy composed almost entirely of rare or endangered trees.

Over half Sri Lanka's endemic mammals and butterflies are found in the Sinharaja Reserve; and to protect the high forest required by many of the 139 bird species sighted here, the rainforest requires a buffer zone free from human disturbance.

However, one fears that environmentalists can only take so much credit for the retraction of earlier, grander proposals. It seems that there were also technical obstacles to building a larger dam.

A German consultant from Lahmeyer International (GMBH) explained that the geology in the area of the headpond would have made it difficult to make a higher dam.

When the first generator of the Kukule Plant is turned on in August 2003, followed shortly in October by the second unit, it is hoped that each turbine will generate 40 MW of power for the national grid. However, this figure could be misleading as it is important to note that the power plant is only expected to generate 60% of its annual output during a dry year.

The Kukule plant will be used primarily to boost supply during peak hours, and left inactive during the night in order to charge up the reservoir. Furthermore, it is expected that operation will be limited by seasonal variations in rainfall affecting the flow of the Kukule Ganga.

In other respects, the completion of this project will be a triumph for international cooperation and the pooling of private sector expertise. As well as German consultants, consultants from the Swiss Electrowatt Engineering Ltd and Japanese Nippon Koei Co Ltd brought their experience to this venture. Whilst the tunnelling was undertaken by the Swedish contractors, Skanska International, the dam was constructed by a Japanese joint-venture of three companies Kajima-Kumagai-Hazama JV, and the completed project is expected to have cost Rs 12 billion altogether to build.

As the number of further feasible and cost-effective locations for subsequent hydro-electric plants diminishes, it will take more than water to back up the minister's promise that day. Talking to the foreign press near the plant, Power and Energy Minister Karu Jayasooriya spoke of the need to "save the nation from plunging into darkness again".

The Kukule project is an example of how if you can't bring the mountain to the power plant, you must move the power plant inside the mountain. And while faith and a Japanese soft loan have made this mountain rumble, it takes more than 80 MW to end the power cuts. Tellingly, an official of the Ministry of Power and Energy remarked, "even in our office, we're using our own generators".

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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