The Kukule Ganga Dam is a

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

built across the

Kukule River Kukule Ganga is a river in Sabaragamuwa Province in southwestern Sri Lanka. The Kukule Ganga Dam The Kukule Ganga Dam is a gravity dam built across the Kukule River in Kalawana, Sri Lanka. The run-of-river-type dam feeds an underground hydr ...

Kalawana Kalawana ( si, කලවාන, ta, கலாவானா) is a town in the Ratnapura District of Sabaragamuwa Province in Sri Lanka. Kalawana is located approximately away from Ratnapura and {{convert, 100, km, abbr=on to the south-east of ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The

run-of-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...

-type dam feeds an underground hydroelectric power station located approximately away, via tunnel.

Dam and reservoir

The

is built across the

, which is a major mid-basin tributary of the

Kalu River Kalu Ganga ( si, කළු ගඟ; literally: Black River) is a river in Sri Lanka. Measuring in length, the river originates from Sri Padhaya and reach the sea at Kalutara. The Black River flows through the Ratnapura and the Kalutara District ...

. The dam measures and in length and height respectively, with four

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

s, and a sand trap on the left-bank. Each spillway gate measures high and wide, and uses the same automated technology as the Victoria Dam. The dam creates the Kukule Ganga Reservoir, which has a capacity and catchment area of and respectively. After passing through the dam and sand traps, water from the reservoir is fed into a long tunnel, which leads to the underground power station. The tunnel from the dam to the power station, with an internal diameter of , creates a gross

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

of .

Power station

Water from the tunnel is fed into the underground power station, consisting of two units. This capacity was intentionally limited to due to load issues. The power station generates an average of annually. Two transformers step up the voltage of the power generated to , which is then transferred to the national grid at the Mathugama Substation, via a long double-circuit transmission line.

References

{{Inland waters of Sri Lanka Dams completed in 2005 Dams in Sri Lanka Hydroelectric power stations in Sri Lanka Japan International Cooperation Agency Buildings and structures in Sabaragamuwa Province Gravity dams

Dam and reservoir

Power station

See also

References