Laxapana Dam

Laxapana Dam
Location of Laxapana Dam
Country Sri Lanka
Location Laxapana
Central Province
Coordinates 06°55′08″N 80°29′22″E / 6.91889°N 80.48944°E
Purpose Power
Status Operational
Opening date April 1969
Owner(s) Ceylon Electricity Board
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Gravity dam
Impounds Maskeliya Oya
Reservoir
Creates Laxapana Reservoir
Max. length 300 m (980 ft)
Max. width 130 m (430 ft)
Power station
Name Polpitiya Power Station
Coordinates 06°58′40″N 80°27′24″E / 6.97778°N 80.45667°E
Turbines 2 × 37.50 MW
Installed capacity 75 MW

The Laxapana Dam is a gravity dam built across the Maskeliya Oya, 2.8 km (1.7 mi) downstream of the iconic Laxapana Falls, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka.[1]

Power station and reservoir

The dam creates the Laxapana Reservoir, which is sustained from water flowing in from the Kelani River, and discharged water from the Old Laxapana Hydroelectric Power Stations and New Laxapana Hydroelectric Power Stations. The Old Laxapana and New Laxapana hydroelectric power stations belongs to the Norton Dam and Canyon Dam respectively, delivered via penstocks.

The combined hydro resource of the Laxapana Reservoir is fed into another penstock to a further 7.8 km (4.8 mi) downstream for utilization of power generation at the Polpitiya Power Station, located at 06°58′40″N 80°27′24″E / 6.97778°N 80.45667°E. The power station, which is also called as the Samanala Hydroelectric Power Station, consists of two generation units rated at 37.50 MW each, both of which were commissioned in April 1969.[1][2][3]

Upsrteam view of the Laxapana Dam and Reservoir. The building located immediately upstream houses the Old Laxapana and New Laxapana hydroelectric power stations, belonging to the Norton Dam and Canyon Dam, respectively.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laxapana Dam.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "CEB Hydropower Generation". Ceylon Electricity Board. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "CEB Generation Details: Laxapana Complex". Ceylon Electricity Board. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Hydroelectric Power Plants in Sri Lanka". Industcards.com. Retrieved 19 January 2014.