- CEB probe ongoing; no progress report yet
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) announced that no power cuts will be imposed today (12).
The CEB decided to implement islandwide power cuts on Monday (10) and yesterday (11), as a result of an issue that arose at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, where the automatic protocol system has disconnected all three generators. Accordingly, in order to manage the electricity demand effectively, one-and-a-half-hour outages occurred between 3.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. yesterday, affecting the entire island.
The power supply disruptions took place in different zones, each experiencing a one-and-a-half-hour outage during the specified time period. The CEB had provided several platforms for the public to check the ongoing demand management (power cut) schedules amid islandwide power interruptions.
However, the CEB confirmed yesterday that no power cuts will take place today as it is possible to manage the existing electricity demand.
Meanwhile, the CEB Engineers‘ Union (CEBEU) Joint Secretary Isuru Kasthurirathne told The Daily Morning that the CEB is investigating the matter – which he noted is a highly technical matter – although it was impossible to comment on any progress of the probe as of yesterday. “They will look into the technical parameters as usual to assess how the breakdown occurred and what should be done,” he added.
The Daily Morning’s attempts to contact the Energy Ministry, the Lakvijaya coal power plant in Norochcholai, the CEB administration, and the CEB-affiliated trade unions other than the CEBEU yesterday were not successful.
At the same time, the CEB had announced that the power generated by the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant is expected to be added back to the national grid by 14 February. The media quoted CEB Engineer Dhammika Wimalaratne as stating that efforts were underway to expedite the restoration process: “We believe that we will be able to restore the power supply within the next three to four days. By 14 February, we expect full restoration, which would eliminate the need for demand management. However, we are also working to restore power earlier than expected, and if successful, we will notify the public in advance.” He had further noted that the ongoing one-and-a-half-hour power cuts may be reduced in the coming days as the restoration process progresses.
After the 9 February islandwide power outage, the power restoration process faced difficulties due to the low electricity demand, which was typical on a Sunday. However, while power was fully restored by 6 p.m., a subsequent issue arose at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, where the automatic protocol system disconnected all three generators. This disconnection caused a loss of 900 megawatts to the national grid, exacerbating the power shortage. By 6 p.m., the demand for electricity began to rise, which led to further power outages in various regions. To mitigate the shortfall, the CEB sourced additional electricity from thermal power plants. After a sustained effort, the power was fully restored to the island by 9.45 p.m.