The preliminary feasibility study for Sri Lanka’s first Canal-Top Solar power project has commenced along the Viyana Canal in Mahiyanganaya.

The project has been planned to install solar panels over the canal, with authorities identifying the Viyana Canal as a suitable location due to its extensive length of more than 20 kilometres and its potential to contribute a significant renewable energy capacity to the national power grid.

Officials said the project would not only generate clean electricity but also help reduce water evaporation, regulate water temperatures during periods of extreme heat and create opportunities for future energy initiatives such as green hydrogen production.

The project will also feature a secure electric fence system aimed at minimising the risk of wild elephants falling into the canal.

A special field inspection and progress review discussion on the project was held in Mahiyanganaya on July 20.

The event was attended by Parliamentarians Ravindra Bandara and Sudath Balagalla, officials of the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, the Ceylon Electricity Distribution Company and senior engineering officers of the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority.

Authorities said the initiative is expected to become a model green energy project by combining renewable power generation, water conservation and wildlife protection.