Upper Kotmale is a 150 MW hydro power station in Central, Sri Lanka. It is operated by Ceylon Electricity Board. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 150k homes (estimated). It ranks #14 of 55 Sri Lanka power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. 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 WRI1030413.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 150 MW, Upper Kotmale is well above the median hydro plant in Sri Lanka (50 MW). Technically it is described as run-of-river. 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
- 10.5% of 1,428 MW across 21 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 13 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 7.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 89% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 17/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
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 #3 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
- Kotmale · Hydro · 201 MW · Central
- Nilambe · Hydro · 3.2 MW · Central
- Wimalasurendra · Hydro · 50 MW · Central
- New Laxapana · Hydro · 100 MW · Central
- Samanala · Hydro · 124 MW · Central
- Maskelioya · Hydro · 2 MW · Central
Location
Coordinates 7.0433, 80.658 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Upper Kotmale?
Upper Kotmale is a 150 MW hydro power plant in Central, Sri Lanka, commissioned in 2012.
Who operates Upper Kotmale?
Upper Kotmale is operated by Ceylon Electricity Board.