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Power outages: CID seeks technical support from CEB 

12 Dec 2021

  • PUCSL investigation report due in three weeks
By Skandha Gunasekara The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is awaiting technical support from the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) in order to conduct its investigations into the spate of controversial power outages during the last two weeks, The Sunday Morning learnt. Police Media Spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nihal Thalduwa told The Sunday Morning that the CID detectives needed technical support to conduct their investigation into the power outage on 3 December. “The power outage issue requires technical knowledge, and so the CID has made a request from the CEB for technical support to carry out the investigation,” Thalduwa said. This comes as a number of government figures and the CEB Chair raised concerns about the possibility of the power outages being a result of sabotage. The concerns came in the backdrop of several CEB trade unions launching a work-to-rule campaign and other trade union action in protest of the controversial agreement between US-based New Fortress Energy Inc. and the Government regarding the Yugadanavi Power Plant and the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply. Several institutions had commenced investigations following the instructions of the Ministry of Power after CEB Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando alleged sabotage was the cause. The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) had also commenced investigating the incident, and is expected to hand over a report in three weeks. “We have assigned a crew headed by Deputy Chairman Prof. Janaka Ekanayake, and they will gather information and do a spot survey. In, probably, two to three weeks, they will submit a report and based on that, we will divulge information to the media,” PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake told The Sunday Morning. When questioned whether he suspected sabotage, he said that it was unclear, as only allegations had been made thus far. “The CEB General Manager said it was sabotage, and then the Chairman also mentioned it, so we acted based on that. We have the authority to investigate this matter. So, we will ensure we do the needful and, if we discover the outage was a result of sabotage, recommend necessary action.”


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