A one-hour power cut in the evening on the 19th, 20th, and 21st until Norochcholai is fixed (Power Cut Time Table)

As a direct result of the sudden power outage that plunged the entire island into darkness last weekend, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has officially approved a one-hour power cut for the island for the next three days, starting today (19). Accordingly, the National System Operator company announced that this one-hour power disconnection will be implemented by dividing the entire island into four main zones during the period from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

In the face of this problem that has arisen in maintaining the national power system's generation capacity at the 2500 MW limit, authorities initially considered a two-hour power cut. However, with the aim of minimizing inconvenience to consumers and their daily activities, it has been limited to a one-hour period. The current rainfall, which has enabled hydropower generation to be maintained at maximum levels, and the relatively low demand on the system, have provided significant relief for this decision. Nevertheless, the National System Operator company has also issued a prior notification to the public that the exact times for power disconnection and restoration may vary by approximately 30 minutes, depending on the nature of system operations.

Mr. Buddhika Samarasinghe, CEO of the National System Operator company, confirmed that in addition to today, this one-hour power cut will also be implemented on the 20th and 21st, divided into four zones, between 4:30 PM and 9:00 PM. He also mentioned that permission has been sought from the Ministry of Power and Energy and the Public Utilities Commission for this.

The Norochcholai power plant will not be connected to the system for several days, and the generation division of the Ceylon Electricity Board is currently engaged in restoring one major inactive generator. The power plant has informed that the machine will be reconnected to the national system by next Thursday (22), and if repairs are completed before then, the National System Operator company expects to end the power cuts and restore the national system to normal even before the scheduled three days.

This decision is based on the imbalance that occurred last Saturday (17) around 11:43 AM, when a generator at the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant suddenly disconnected from the national power system. Following that massive breakdown, which affected the entire island within a very short period of less than thirty seconds, the Norochcholai power plant was completely shut down as a normal safety measure. Due to this, authorities have been compelled to take this step in the face of the technical challenge of managing the massive 810 MW capacity lost to the national system.