- Outage due to breakdown of Kotmale-Biyagama transmission line
The State-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will conduct a special investigation to determine the reason for yesterday’s (9) sudden islandwide power outage, The Sunday Morning learns.
A major power outage was reported yesterday evening at around 5.30 p.m.
The CEB initially announced that the outage was due to a breakdown of the Kotmale-Biyagama transmission line.
Within half an hour, the board managed to commence restoring power to certain areas and by around 7 p.m., power had been restored to major institutions such as hospitals, including the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo.
When contacted by The Sunday Morning, CEB Chairman Nalinda Ilangakoon stated that CEB engineers were restoring power step by step and that the cause would be investigated only once power had been fully restored.
When asked if the board suspected sabotage, the Chairman stressed that he could not comment without conducting an investigation.
Meanwhile, a senior engineer attached to the CEB, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sunday Morning that such power outages could be expected when hydropower generation exceeded 60% of reservoir capacities.
According to the power system report for Friday (8), total hydropower generation was at 65.98% of the total grid capacity. The contribution from thermal, solar, wind, and mini-hydro was at 18.7%, 5.04%, 0.36%, and 8.90% of the total grid capacity, respectively.
A similar sudden outage was reported in December 2021, lasting more than five hours.
The Government initially attributed the blackout to a transmission line breakdown. At the time, then CEB Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando claimed he suspected sabotage as the blackout occurred when the CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) was on a ‘work-to-rule’ in protest of the Government’s decision to grant an LNG contract to the US-based company, New Fortress Energy.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had opened an inquiry into a complaint filed by the CEB at the time to look into the causes that led to the said power outage.
The interim report submitted by the committee three days after the power blackout identified that the power outage resulted from a failure on the part of the CEB to maintain procedures and significant lapses in not carrying out recommendations in previous investigation reports.
The report stated that an error made by an electrical superintendent at the Kerawalapitiya grid sub-station by incorrectly switching on an isolator after routine maintenance while a section had been earthed had led to a short circuit. As a result, the Norochcholai coal power plant was also disconnected, forcing the country into intermittent power cuts.
– By Maheesha Mudugamuwa