High quality copper cables made in Sri Lanka from recycled waste material
Copper cables in Sri Lanka which are used to supply electricity to houses and business environment are still being imported from countries like India, South Africa and the Middle East when it could be manufactured in Sri Lanka.
Attending a familiarisation media tour to the Orange Electric factories in Boralesgamuwa and Meegoda, the Business Times learnt that copper cables could be manufactured in Sri Lanka rather than importing from outside.
At the Orange Electric factory in Boralesgamuwa, waste copper materials gathered from all around the country are brought and heated at 1250 celcius degrees and melted into a mould which becomes solid copper after cooling. The solid copper plate is then dipped into copper sulphate solution and allowed to react with stainless steel plate to obtain pure copper. Within a week of reaction taking place, around 500kg of pure copper is tranformed into thin sheets.
The pure thin sheet of copper is then again put into another furnace and melted at the same 1250 celcius degrees and mould into 8mm diameter long rods. The finished pure copper rod is then taken to the Orange Electric factory in Meegoda for packaging. At the Orange Electric factory in Meegoda, the pure copper rods are cut according to the international standard sizes and insulated for use.
Orange Electric is the first company to introduce the manufacture of pure copper by recycling waste copper in Sri Lanka whereas most other companies import the copper from abroad and do the packaging here. Sri Lanka is currently facing a shortage of copper, which has hindered the expansion of traditional and small industries in Sri Lanka. The main reason for this shortage is that waste and scrap copper, which is used as raw material in these traditional and small industries are being exported mainly to India and Japan.
Sri Lanka imports both unrefined and refined copper and they are imported under various categories such as stranded wire, cables, copper springs, copper powder and flakes etc. The annual report of Sri Lanka Customs on imports and exports clearly records all the imports and exports of copper to Sri Lanka over the years.