(Photo: SLBC)

A Canadian company is to invest US$150 million to develop a solar power plant in Sri Lanka on land owned by the national radio broadcaster, SLBC.

Ontario-based American Clean Energy Solutions Inc. will work with a local partner, 3W Power Management Limited, to develop the project in Nilaveli, Trincomalee, in the country’s northeast.

The German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle operated its Kuchchaveli shortwave relay station on the site for more than 30 years but returned the land to the Sri Lankan government in 2012. The government later transferred it to SLBC.

The broadcaster signed an agreement with 3W Power Management in 2022 to build the plant. It is expected to supply 100 megawatts of power to the national grid, becoming an additional source of income for the broadcaster.

3W Power Management says $40 million will be invested in a battery storage unit that will ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the grid.