page_title: Samanala Dam
section_title: Background and development
hierarchical_section_title: Samanala Dam / Background and development
caption_attribution_description: English: This photo was taken as part of a photo project by Wikimedia Community User Group Sri Lanka, covering current/future hydroelectric dams (and its surroundings) in the Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces of Sri Lanka. User:Rehman handled the photography, while User:Azeez and User:PasinduBR handled the logistics/planning of routes. Description of photo: Samanala Dam site. Further information on the subject(s) of the photograph may be found in the category/ies of this file.
context_page_description: The Samanala Dam is a dam primarily used for hydroelectric power generation in Sri Lanka. Commissioned in 1992, the Samanalawewa Project is the third-largest hydroelectric scheme in the country, producing 405 GWh of energy annually. It was built with financial support from Japan and the United Kingdom. It is notable for a large leak on its right bank. Power production continues as planned despite the leakage, and the water from the leak now provides two thirds of the water issued by the reservoir for agriculture in downstream areas.
context_section_description: With the Mahaweli and Laxapana hydroelectric power projects implemented, the demand for electricity in Sri Lanka rapidly increased. When it became clear that it would not be possible to meet the demand with coal-fired power plants, the government of Sri Lanka decided to initiate another hydroelectric power project. A reservoir type hydroelectric power plant was planned to be constructed across the Walawe river, which would address the shortage of electricity in the country. Detailed investigations for a hydroelectric power plant in this area have been carried out since 1958, but the scheme was initiated only in 1986. The financing for the project was given by the governments of Japan and the United Kingdom.
  Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners did the design work and Balfour Beatty were the contracts to lay roads, drive a tunnel and build the power station.
  The cost of the project was estimated to be 60,176 million yen, but with the remedial measures taken to control the leak, the cost increased to 74,313 million yen. The Samanalawewa power plant was commissioned in 1992. The Samanalawewa project is the second largest hydroelectric scheme in Sri Lanka after the Mahaweli project.
caption: Quarry site.
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