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Sri Lanka’s leading innovative glove manufacturer ATG Group of Companies recently announced that they have invested Rs. 127 million to add 1060 kW to the national grid by way of generating solar power in three of their factories in two Export Processing Zones – Katunayake and Wathupitiwala.
With sunlight being an abundant resource available throughout the year due to the country’s unique equatorial positioning, the company believes that this is a timely investment for the Group as well as the country.
The company in its pilot project invested Rs. 27 million to install a solar system at ATG Handcare Ltd. in Katunayake which was engineered by HiEnegry Ltd. The unit adds 188kW to the national grid per month.
Simultaneously, another unit was installed at ATG Ceylon Ltd. in Katunayake adding further 471.3kW to the national grid and this unit was also engineered by HiEnergy Ltd. with an investment of Rs. 53 million.
In the third phase, the company invested Rs. 46 million to install solar panels at ATG Handcare in Wathupitiwala which has the capacity to generate 400kW of electricity per month. This project handled by JLanka Ltd. is set to be commissioned by the end of the year.
Commenting on the ATG Group’s decision to invest in solar energy, Managing Director Fazal Abdeen said that sunlight throughout the year is a unique feature and a blessing that Sri Lanka should not take for granted.
He believes that parallel with the state sector and policymakers, the private sector too should contribute to spearheading the revolution of shifting to sustainable energy instead of overly relying on petroleum, coal and other alternatives that are not only relatively more expensive but also cause significant harm to the ecosystem.
He added: “We appreciate that policies, incentives are being introduced to promote a transition from depending on fossil fuels to more environmentally friendly alternatives like solar; this diversification of the electricity sector is vital and timely.” National Energy Policy 2006 has identified fuel diversity and energy security in electricity generation as a strategic objective and development of renewable energy projects was identified as a part of this strategy. The grid-tied solar power systems installed at the three factories deliver clean, renewable energy that is absorbed by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) grid for redistribution through a net metering system. Following the success of the first three projects, the company plans to install solar panels at ATG Handcare Ltd. in Koggala which is the youngest member of the Group opened in 2017.
