- Says 2025 PUCSL recommendations ignored
- 1 hour power cuts across four groups till tomorrow
- Lakvijaya offline, 200 MW shortfall at peak
The National System Operator (NSO) Private Limited’s probe into Saturday’s (17) island-wide blackout is unlikely to produce meaningful results, as the Company failed to implement Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) recommendations made after a similar outage in February 2025, the Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) claimed.
Speaking to The Daily Morning, ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said the PUCSL had held a public consultation in August 2025 after the February outage and prepared a report with recommendations to prevent a recurrence, none of which, he alleged, the NSO had implemented. “If they had implemented those recommendations, this kind of incident wouldn’t have happened again,” he claimed.
He also alleged that the cost of improving the system was factored into tariff revision proposals, but the changes were never made. “They include all these matters in their calculations and increase the tariffs. But, in the end, they don’t make the changes that need to be made.”
Dhammika said the NSO, as the Company operating the national electricity system, should face an independent inquiry rather than investigate itself. “It’s the party responsible for this. Does it make sense for them to investigate themselves?”
He said the PUCSL should investigate, though he doubted a Commission inquiry would deliver a satisfactory outcome. “We can’t be sure that there’ll be justice even after a PUCSL-led investigation,” he said.
NSO Chairperson Pradeep Priyadarshana has said the Company’s internal investigation will establish the sequence of events and the causes. A report including recommendations is due to the PUCSL and the Energy Ministry within one month.
Saturday’s blackout began at around 11.45 a.m., with supply restored to most areas by around 7.50 p.m. The NSO attributed it to severe instability in the transmission network. Energy Minister Anura Karunatilaka said a technical issue detected earlier at a hydropower plant in Kotmale may have contributed.
Attempts to contact the PUCSL and NSO Chief Executive Officer Buddhika Samarasekara proved futile.
Meanwhile, consumers face a second evening of one-hour power cuts today (20), after the PUCSL approved an NSO request for rotating interruptions across four groups from yesterday (19) until tomorrow (21).
Each group will lose power for one hour between 4.30 p.m. and 9 p.m., with the order rotating daily.
The authorities said times may vary by up to 30 minutes depending on demand, available generation and weather conditions.
The cuts will be imposed only if demand management becomes necessary due to insufficient generation following the unavailability of the Lakvijaya Power Station. The NSO has said the plant will remain off the grid for several days after being shut down as a precaution on Saturday. The NSO projects peak evening demand at 2,800 MW against available capacity of 2,600 MW.