• 86% of affected consumers reconnected
• Full restoration pledged by week’s end

About 40% of the Ceylon Electricity Board’s (CEB) infrastructure has been damaged in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, CEB Deputy General Manager Noel Priyantha told The Sunday Morning. 

He said that of the 3.9 million consumers who had initially lost power during the severe weather, electricity supply had now been restored to approximately 3.5 million – around 86% – as of Friday (5). 

According to Priyantha, the distribution network suffered the worst impact, with transformers bearing the brunt of the damage. 

“Out of around 39,537 total transformers, around 17,143 became inactive – either damaged, submerged, or rendered unusable. By 6 a.m. on 5 December, around 15,100 had been rectified, leaving about 2,168 still to be repaired or replaced,” he said.

He added that 2,994 high-voltage breakdowns had been reported, of which 2,429 had been fixed, while 339 remained pending. At the low-voltage and domestic level, 32,341 breakdowns were recorded, with 19,572 restored and nearly 12,266 yet to be addressed.

“The numbers are still quite high,” Priyantha noted, adding that a full financial assessment of the damage was ongoing, as landslides and flooding continue to restrict access to several affected areas.

Most of the destruction has been limited to the distribution sector and Priyantha confirmed that power stations had not been affected. 

One transmission line between Rantambe and Mahiyangana had suffered severe damage, including a tower that had been washed away, but has been temporarily restored. The Central Province and Badulla District have been identified as the hardest hit. 

Priyantha said that repairs were progressing with existing budget allocations and support from the Government, Police, armed forces, Road Development Authority, and telecommunications partners.

“With the current progress and a dedicated workforce, I believe full restoration can be achieved within 3–4 days,” he added.