Country Sri Lanka Status Operational Type of dam Gravity dam Owner Ceylon Electricity Board | Purpose Power Opening date April 1969 (1969-04) Opened April 1969 Impound Maskeliya Oya | |
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Location Laxapana
Central Province Similar Bowatenna Dam, Maskeliya Dam, Samanala Dam, Rantembe Dam, Kotmale Dam | ||
The Laxapana Dam is a gravity dam built across the Maskeliya Oya, 2.8 km (1.7 mi) downstream of the iconic Laxapana Falls, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka.
Contents
Map of Laxapana Dam, Laxapana, Sri Lanka
Power station and reservoir
The dam creates the Laxapana Reservoir, which is sustained from water flowing in from the Kelani River, and discharged water from the Old Laxapana Hydroelectric Power Stations and New Laxapana Hydroelectric Power Stations. The Old Laxapana and New Laxapana hydroelectric power stations belongs to the Norton Dam and Canyon Dam respectively, delivered via penstocks.
The combined hydro resource of the Laxapana Reservoir is fed into another penstock to a further 7.8 km (4.8 mi) downstream for utilization of power generation at the Polpitiya Power Station, located at 06°58′40″N 80°27′24″E. The power station, which is also called as the Samanala Hydroelectric Power Station, consists of two generation units rated at 37.50 MW each, both of which were commissioned in April 1969.