Browse the atlas
Asset classes
- Transmission Line80,968
- Power Plant32,429
- Substation / Converter7,614
- Oil & Gas Field7,055
- Coal / Uranium Mine5,382
- Pipeline4,951
- Cement Plant3,513
- Data Centre3,283
- Iron & Steel Plant1,293
- LNG Terminal1,198
- Grid Storage965
- Iron Ore Mine949
- Chemical Plant868
- Interconnector704
- Export Terminal519
- Refinery279
- Storage / Tank Farm38
- Oil / Commodity Contract19
- Hydrogen Project18
- Carbon Capture (CCS)16
Chokepoints
Sri Lanka · asset class
Power Plants in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has 30 power plants mapped on the OverWatts open energy atlas — the 76th-largest fleet of the 155 countries that hold any, and 0.1% of the world's mapped total. Of these, 16 operating and 14 under construction or proposed. Operating generation capacity totals 3.4 GW across 16 utility-scale plants of 100 MW and above. The largest is Lakvijaya Power Plant (900 MW).
The largest owner-operators are Ceylon Electricity Board (13), Infinitum Energy Pte Ltd (2) and Lakdhanavi Ltd (2) — Ceylon Electricity Board alone is named on 43% of them. Half of Sri Lanka's power plants in service predate 2005 (median commissioning year of the 16 with a known date), 5 came online in the past decade and the oldest still listed is New Laxapana hydroelectric plant, dating from 1974. 14 are in the pipeline, led by Poonakary Lake solar farm (700 MW), proposed. They account for 68% of every energy asset OverWatts maps in Sri Lanka.
Operating generation capacity by fuel
- hydro1.0 GW
- coal900 MW
- gas813 MW
- oil550 MW
- wind100 MW +610 MW planned
- solar0 MW +2.0 GW planned
- nuclear0 MW +300 MW planned
On the interactive map
Largest power plants in Sri Lanka
- Lakvijaya Power Plant900 MW · coal · 2011
- Poonakary Lake solar farm700 MW · solar · proposed
- Kerawalapitiya LNG power station350 MW · gas · 2025
- Sri Lanka nuclear power plant300 MW · nuclear · 2032 · proposed
- Yugadanavi power station300 MW · gas · 2021
- Hambantota solar farm250 MW · solar · proposed
- Veravil wind farm210 MW · wind · construction
- Sri Lanka Victoria hydroelectric plant210 MW · hydro · 1984
- Kotmale hydroelectric plant201 MW · hydro · 1985
- Kilinochchi solar farm200 MW · solar · 2029 · proposed
- Samanalawewa reservoir solar farm200 MW · solar · proposed
- Mannar wind farm200 MW · wind · proposed
- Pooneryn wind farm200 MW · wind · proposed
- Kelanitissa Combined Cycle power plant165 MW · oil · 2002
- Sojitz Kelanitissa power station163 MW · gas · 2024
- Sapugaskanda power station160 MW · oil · 1984
- Pooneryn solar farm150 MW · solar · proposed
- Upper Kotmale hydroelectric plant150 MW · hydro · 2012
- Hambantota Sooriyawewa solar farm122 MW · solar · 2030 · proposed
- Randenigala hydroelectric plant122 MW · hydro · 1986
- Kelanitissa power station120 MW · oil · 2003
- Samanalawewa hydroelectric plant120 MW · hydro · 1992
- Uma Oya hydroelectric plant120 MW · hydro · 2023
- Ace Embilipitiya power station105 MW · oil · 2005
- Parakrama Samudra floating solar power plant103 MW · solar · proposed
- Hambantota solar farm100 MW · solar · 2029 · construction
- Nilaveli solar farm100 MW · solar · proposed
- Rividhanavi solar farm100 MW · solar · 2027 · construction
- Mannar wind farm100 MW · wind · 2020
- New Laxapana hydroelectric plant100 MW · hydro · 1974
Who owns Sri Lanka's power plants
- Ceylon Electricity Board13 43%
- Infinitum Energy Pte Ltd2 7%
- Lakdhanavi Ltd2 7%
- Ace Power Embilipitiya Pvt Ltd1 3%
- American Clean Energy Solutions Inc1 3%
- Sri Lanka Sustainability Energy Authority (SLSEA)1 3%
- The Blue Circle1 3%
- United Solar Group1 3%
Counts an asset once per company named as its owner or operator; a joint venture counts for each partner.
When they were built
- 1970s1
- 1980s4
- 1990s1
- 2000s3
- 2010s2
- 2020s5
Median commissioning year 2005 · oldest New Laxapana hydroelectric plant (1974) · newest Kerawalapitiya LNG power station (2025) · 16 of 30 carry a start date
Under construction & proposed
- Poonakary Lake solar farm700 MW · solar · proposed
- Sri Lanka nuclear power plant300 MW · nuclear · 2032 · proposed
- Hambantota solar farm250 MW · solar · proposed
- Veravil wind farm210 MW · wind · construction
- Kilinochchi solar farm200 MW · solar · 2029 · proposed
- Samanalawewa reservoir solar farm200 MW · solar · proposed
- Mannar wind farm200 MW · wind · proposed
- Pooneryn wind farm200 MW · wind · proposed
- Pooneryn solar farm150 MW · solar · proposed
- Hambantota Sooriyawewa solar farm122 MW · solar · 2030 · proposed
- Parakrama Samudra floating solar power plant103 MW · solar · proposed
- Hambantota solar farm100 MW · solar · 2029 · construction
How Sri Lanka compares · power plants by country
- 1. China11,537
- 75. Ghana32
- 76. Bolivia30
- 77. Kenya30
- 78. Sri Lanka30
- 79. Azerbaijan27
- 80. Latvia27
- 81. Panama27
Frequently asked
- How many power plants are there in Sri Lanka?
- OverWatts maps 30 power plants in Sri Lanka — 0.1% of the world's mapped total, the 76th-largest national fleet of the 155 countries with any.
- What is the largest power plant in Sri Lanka?
- Lakvijaya Power Plant, at 900 MW.
- How much power-generation capacity do Sri Lanka's power plants have?
- About 3.4 GW operating across 16 plants, with a further 2.9 GW under construction or proposed. That covers utility-scale sites of 100 MW and above, so it sits below national installed capacity wherever distributed generation is large.
- Who owns the power plants in Sri Lanka?
- Ceylon Electricity Board is named as owner or operator on the most — 13 of 30 (43%). Next are Infinitum Energy Pte Ltd (2), Lakdhanavi Ltd (2) and Ace Power Embilipitiya Pvt Ltd (1).
- How old are Sri Lanka's power plants?
- The median commissioning year is 2005, across the 16 in service with a known start date. The oldest still listed is New Laxapana hydroelectric plant (1974); 5 came online in the past ten years.
- What new power plants are being built in Sri Lanka?
- 14 projects are under construction or proposed. The largest are Poonakary Lake solar farm (700 MW), Sri Lanka nuclear power plant (300 MW) and Hambantota solar farm (250 MW).