The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is set to determine today (10) whether power outages will need to be implemented as the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant remains disconnected from the national grid.
A special discussion has been scheduled for today to evaluate the electricity supply following the nationwide blackout that occurred on February 9 at approximately 11:15 a.m. The disruption has been linked to an incident at the Panadura grid substation.
Monkey Causes Major Power Disruption
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody attributed the blackout to an unexpected accident involving a monkey at the substation. However, the CEB clarified that while the incident did cause a power system imbalance, it ultimately led to the chain reaction that triggered the widespread outage.
Efforts to restore power faced complications due to the low electricity demand on Sunday. Although the CEB successfully restored electricity by 6:00 p.m., an automatic safety protocol at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant resulted in the disconnection of all three generators, removing 900 megawatts from the national grid.
Power Supply Challenges and Future Outlook
As electricity demand surged after 6:00 p.m., several areas experienced further outages. To compensate for the shortfall, the CEB switched to thermal power plants and was able to fully restore power across the country by 9:45 p.m.
Despite these efforts, CEB officials have warned that restarting the Norochcholai generators will take approximately four days. Today’s meeting will focus on strategizing ways to manage power supply during this period and prevent mandatory load shedding.
Minister Blames Past Policies for Instability
In a press statement, Minister Jayakody blamed the absence of a proper system to balance the national power supply on past government mismanagement. He criticized previous administrations for implementing poorly planned energy policies, which, according to him, contributed to the fragile state of the electricity grid and exacerbated the recent outage.
