Jan 23, 2019 (LBO) – Ceylon Electricity Board and Sri Lanka Air Force today signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate the project of creating artificial rain for hydropower generation.
The Air Force has agreed to provide aircraft modified especially for this purpose while the Thai government is providing technical expertise for the project.
Rainmaking can be done using airplanes to sow to the clouds with catalysts such as dry ice, silver iodide, and salt powder, to make clouds rain or increase precipitation.
It can be used to remove or mitigate farmland drought, to increase reservoir irrigation water or water supply capacity, or to increase water levels for power generation.
“This project is expected to benefit Sri Lanka in the periods of drought to avoid the high cost of purchasing power from independent power producers,” Power Minister Ravi Karunanayake said.
“This project which will be implemented in Sri Lanka for the first time is expected to get off the ground by the end of next month.”
Earlier last year, a special team of experts from Thailand conducted field visits to hydropower plants.
Source : Lanka Business Online
