Govt. targets 960 MW BESS capacity by mid-2027

Saturday, 19 September 2026 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Energy Minister Anura Karunathilake

Energy Minister Anura Karunathilake yesterday said the Government will add close to 960 MW of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity by the end of 2027 as it looks to absorb a growing daytime solar surplus.

He said this at a ceremony to connect a 10 MW/40 MWh system in Anuradhapura, the first of 13 built by Storex Ltd., to the national grid. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was also at the event. The 13 systems under this project will total 130 MW/520 MWh in combined capacity once complete. Storex expects the remaining 12 systems to be connected within the next two to three months.

Karunathilake said the country currently generates close to 3,000 MW of solar power during the day, against average daytime demand of around 2,800 MW. Night-time demand rises to roughly 3,100 MW, and with El Niño conditions, forecasts indicate this could rise further by February next year, a gap the Minister said battery storage is intended to close by shifting surplus daytime solar generation to the evening peak.

Karunathilake said the Government is implementing projects with a combined capacity of 160 MW targeted for completion before the end of 2026. Bids have also been called for separate battery storage projects of 400 MW, 250 MW and 150 MW, some of which are at the evaluation stage, with the Minister targeting completion within the first six months of 2027.

Karunathilake said the storage build-out is intended to allow greater integration of renewable energy into the grid while reducing the cost of night-time generation from fossil fuels.