Monday Feb 10, 2025
Monday Feb 10, 2025
Monday, 10 February 2025 03:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A countrywide six-hour power blackout during the daytime yesterday dealt a big blow to economic and household activities and triggered outrage over the Government’s failure to prevent or swiftly restore electricity whilst issuing unusual explanations.
The power outage initially was reported around 11:15 a.m. in several areas of the country and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) confirmed a complete blackout by around 11:45 a.m.
In an unusual explanation, Power Minister Eng. Kumara Jayakody blamed the disruption on a monkey-related incident at the Panadura substation, a claim that quickly captured international attention.
However, his own Ministry later described the situation as an ‘emergency at the Panadura substation,’ without confirming the Minister’s earlier statement.
Closer to 3 p.m., as efforts to restore power continued, the Energy Ministry requested rooftop solar power system users to disconnect from the national grid till 4 p.m.
By 5 p.m., power was restored countrywide, only for fresh outages to hit multiple areas from 8.30 p.m. due to the sudden failure of three Norochcholai coal power plant generators.
The blackout raised serious concerns about the resilience of the country’s power grid, with many questioning how a single failure could trigger a total system collapse.
Energy experts argue that a well-designed grid should have safeguards, redundancy, and automation to prevent such cascading failures.
Minister Jayakody later shifted the blame to previous Governments, criticising their failure to maintain grid stability.
“The short-sighted actions of past administrations, coupled with a lack of technological foresight, have led to this crisis,” he stated.
The Minister assured that a full-scale investigation would be conducted and measures taken to prevent future disruptions.
In response to mounting criticism, the CEB announced an internal inquiry, while Energy Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala confirmed a separate investigation into the causes of the power failure.
CEB Chairman Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya is expected to release detailed findings today (10). The CEB also expressed its regret for the inconvenience caused by the power outage.
The latest blackout is not an isolated incident – the country suffered multiple countrywide power failures in recent years, including a six-hour outage in December 2023 caused by a transmission line failure in Kotmale.
Other blackouts in March 2016, August 2020, and December 2021 have highlighted systemic weaknesses in the country’s power infrastructure.
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.
