The Randenigala Dam () is a large

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

embankment

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

at Rantembe, in the Central Province of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. Construction of the dam began in November 1982, and was completed in approximately . The dam and power station was ceremonially opened by then

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

J. R. Jayawardene Junius Richard Jayewardene (; ; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly referred to by his initials JR, was a Sri Lankan lawyer, public official and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from ...

in 1986. Construction of the dam cost approximately , of which 24.6% () was funded by the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

, and the majority of the remainder by

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Dam

The Randenigala Dam is located downstream of the Victoria Dam, and upstream of the

Rantembe Dam The Rantembe Dam () is a hydroelectric gravity dam at Rantembe, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Construction of the dam began in January 1987, and was completed on schedule in April 1990. The dam was constructed by the German 'Joint Ventu ...

. Randenigala measures in height, in length, with a crest and base width of and respectively. The

embankment dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface ...

is made mostly of rocks, and consists of a clay core. Three large controlled

tainter gate The Tainter gate is a type of radial arm floodgate used in dams and canal locks to control water flow. It is named for its inventor, the Wisconsin structural engineer Jeremiah Burnham Tainter. Tainter, an employee of the lumber firm Knapp, ...

chute

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

s, with a combined discharge volume of , are constructed at the southern end of the dam. The three spillways measure in length, with a combined width of .

Reservoir

The dam creates the Randenigala Reservoir. With a catchment area of and a total storage capacity of , Randenigala is one of the largest reservoirs in the country. The reservoir experiences approximately of rainfall annually. In addition to this, the reservoir is also topped up with water from the Victoria Reservoir upstream, and the

Mahaweli River The Mahaweli River (, literally "Great Sandy River"; 'mahawali gangai'', is a long river, ranking as the longest river in Sri Lanka. It has a drainage basin of , the largest in the country, which covers almost one-fifth of the total area of the ...

Power station

The

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

is located immediately downstream of the dam, on the left

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

. Water from the reservoir is delivered to the power station via a single steel-lined tunnel with a length and diameter of and respectively. The plant consists of two generators with a rated capacity of each, powered by two

francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The pro ...

s. The units were commissioned in August and September 1986 respectively. At a combined capacity of , the plant generates annually.

References

External links

* {{Inland waters of Sri Lanka Buildings and structures in Kandy District Dams in Sri Lanka Hydroelectric power stations in Sri Lanka Dams completed in 1986 Embankment dams

Dam

Reservoir

Power station

See also

References

External links