The Rantembe Dam (Sinhala: රංටැබේ වේල්ල) is a 52-megawatthydroelectricgravitydam at Rantembe, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Construction of the dam began in January 1987, and was completed on schedule in April 1990. The dam was constructed by the German 'Joint Venture Randenigala'; a different German joint venture has built the Randenigala Dam, further upstream.
Construction of the dam cost approximately Rs. 4.077 billion (1990), of which 34.7% (Rs. 1.050 billion) was funded by the Ceylon Electricity Board, with the majority of the remainder funded by Germany.[1]
Dam, reservoir, and power station
The Rantembe Dam, located just 2.8 km (1.7 mi) downstream of the Randenigala Dam, measures 42 m (138 ft) in height, 420 m (1,378 ft) in length, and consists of 4 tainter gatespillways with a combined discharge capacity of 10,235 m3/s (361,446 cu ft/s).
The dam creates the relatively small Rantembe Reservoir, which has a catchment area of 3,118 km2 (1,204 sq mi), and a total capacity of 21,000,000 m3 (740,000,000 cu ft).
Water from the reservoir is channelled through the dam through a steel penstock to power the two 26-megawattturbines. The power station's combined output of 52-megawatts generates 180 GWh annually.[1]
The Rantembe Reservoir.
The Rantembe Reservoir, with the Randenigala Dam in the background (upstream).
