Two investigations on power breakdown: State Minister

The State Minister of Power and Energy told the Parliament today (10) that two separate inquiries by the Ministry of Power and Energy and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will be carried out into the island-wide power breakdown last evening (9).

However, according to the CEB Spokesman Noel Priyantha, initial data show that a lightning strike on the Kotmale to Biyagama transmission line caused the nation-wide power outage.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Electricity Consumers Union (ECU) Sanjeewa Dhammika Perera voiced concerns on how the Biyagama-Kotmale transmission line has experienced multiple breakdowns in the past.

“The Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) had made recommendations following a similar breakdown in August 2022, which the Minister of Power and Energy (MoPE) seemingly disregarded,” Mr. Perera pointed out.

Besides, the PUCSL had issued a Gazette order on September 9, 2022, to prevent nationwide power outages following national level electricity failure that took place in December, 2021 where the Minister of Power and Energy and Secretary had been instructed to take required action against the officials responsible for the said breakdown, he said.

Furthermore, technical advancements were mandated in response to the previous failure of the Biyagama Kotmale transmission line.

Mr. Perera said, the Norochcholai power plant has also fallen by this point which is unlikely due to a transmission line breakdown where the PUCSL has directed the implementation of remedial action.

“The electricity user has been exploited tremendously since the present power Minister has been in office as his concerns lie on denationalizing the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) instead of fulfilling his role as the Minister,” he stressed.