CEB Seeks Global Bids for 160MW Battery Storage to Stabilize Grid
- CNL Reporter
- August 14, 2025
- News, Power and energy
- CEB
- 0 Comments
Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has invited international tenders for 160 megawatts of battery energy storage systems (BESS) on a build–operate–own basis to support the integration of renewable energy into the national grid.
The plan involves installing 10MW/40MWh battery units at 10 locations, providing a total storage capacity of 640MWh. Private developers will operate the systems for 15 years, with performance expected to deliver 97.5% in the first year, declining to 62.5% by year 15. The CEB will pay a capacity charge to operators.
The move comes as Sri Lanka’s grid faces stability challenges due to a surge in rooftop solar, especially during sunny weekends and public holidays when demand is low, leading to potential cascading failures. Large hydro plants can offset some solar output by reducing daytime generation, but maintaining stability requires rotating generators and additional grid investments, estimated at several billion US dollars.
Until recently, high renewable energy costs discouraged such investments, but sharp price drops—driven in part by Chinese manufacturers—have improved feasibility.
Experts note that non-conventional renewable energy sources also bring challenges such as inadequate reactive power. Internationally, countries like Germany have introduced grid fees to manage solar and wind integration, raising electricity costs, while also relying on imports after shutting down nuclear plants.
The CEB’s BESS initiative aims to address these technical hurdles, ensure reliable supply, and enable a greater share of renewable energy in Sri Lanka’s future power mix.
