Construction of commercial-scale battery energy storage systems planned at 16 power transmission substations across the country is nearing completion.

The battery systems were brought into Sri Lanka through the Colombo Port in three shipments during May and June.

Construction of a project near the Anuradhapura Substation is approximately 85% complete, according to officials.

The systems will store excess electricity generated by solar power plants during the day and supply it back to the national grid at night, depending on demand.

Officials say the projects will help improve grid stability and reduce the amount of electricity generated by diesel power plants during nighttime hours.

Each project will have a capacity of 10 megawatts. Control and management of the systems will be handled by National System Operator Ltd. (NSO), which comes under the Ministry of Energy, while maintenance will be carried out by the respective companies.

Procurement is also underway to install similar battery storage systems at a further 23 substations.

Officials involved in the projects said the stored electricity could begin supplying the national grid as early as the beginning of September.