Polpitiya is a 75 MW hydro power plant in Uva, Sri Lanka. It is operated by Ceylon Electricity Board. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 75k homes (estimated). It ranks #19 of 55 Sri Lanka power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1969, it is around 57 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 38.2% of Sri Lanka's electricity; the national grid averages 329 gCO₂/kWh (61.6% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030419.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 75 MW, Polpitiya is well above the median hydro plant in Sri Lanka (50 MW). Technically it is described as conventional storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Sri Lanka hydro capacity
- 5.3% of 1,428 MW across 21 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 3 of 15 dated hydro plants in Sri Lanka are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Sri Lanka
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Ceylon Electricity Board. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 6.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #7 largest hydro power plant of 21 in Sri Lanka by capacity.
Sri Lanka has 21 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 1,428 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Udawalawe · Hydro · 6 MW · Uva
- Ambewela Aitken Spence · Wind · 3 MW · Central
- Ace Embilipitiya power station · Oil · 105 MW · Embilipitiya
- Canyon · Hydro · 60 MW · Central
- Wimalasurendra · Hydro · 50 MW · Central
- Hambantota I · Solar · 14.4 MW · Southern
Location
Coordinates 6.5842, 80.8081 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Polpitiya?
Polpitiya is a 75 MW hydro power plant in Uva, Sri Lanka, commissioned in 1969.
Who operates Polpitiya?
Polpitiya is operated by Ceylon Electricity Board.