CEB insists solar surge triggered 9 Feb. countrywide blackout

Thursday, 24 April 2025 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) yesterday issued a formal clarification detailing the findings of an independent Expert Committee that investigated the nationwide power outage which plunged Sri Lanka into darkness on 9 February 2025.

According to the Committee’s findings, the blackout was primarily caused by low system stability—technically referred to as low “system inertia”—due to an unprecedentedly high input of solar photovoltaic (PV) power. On the day of the outage, solar power was supplying more than half of the country’s electricity demand, significantly reducing the role of traditional power plants which usually provide crucial stabilising inertia to the grid.

The incident was triggered by a disturbance at the 33kV Panadura Grid Substation, leading to a sudden voltage drop across the national electricity network. The outage occurred on a weekend, where typically lower electricity demand—referred to as the “Sunny Sunday” effect—coincided with peak solar generation. This imbalance between generation and consumption cascaded into widespread system failures, resulting in a complete islandwide blackout.

The Committee report emphasises that traditional thermal power stations, operating at minimal capacity that day, were unable to absorb the grid shock due to reduced rotational inertia. To prevent similar incidents, the Committee has recommended immediate steps be taken, including implementation of measures from the Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan (LTGEP) and the Long-Term Transmission Plan.

These include the deployment of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), installation of synchronous condensers, and modification of conventional generators to function as synchronous condensers. The Committee also proposed integrating real-time inertia indicators into the national grid’s control systems to aid in better monitoring and response.

The CEB stressed that the expert findings align with the initial explanation provided in its statement dated 18 February 2025. It strongly refuted recent speculation suggesting the blackout originated from a fault at the Victoria Power Station or due to misinformation on the CEB’s part, calling such claims “baseless and contradicted by the evidence-based Committee report.”

The CEB reiterated its commitment to ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply and pledged transparent communication with the public moving forward. “We sincerely thank all stakeholders for their cooperation and understanding as we move swiftly to enhance the resilience and reliability of the national power system,” it added.

The complete report is now publicly accessible on the website of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL).

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