In an unprecedented turn of events, the country faced a nationwide power outage yesterday, leaving citizens in the dark for several hours.
The blackout, attributed to a system issue, prompted urgent efforts by engineers to restore power.
At 7 pm, an engineer shed light on the situation, explaining that the restoration process involved the gradual loading of power to generators spanning the entire country.
The complexity of the operation meant that the outage duration was expected to persist for more than two hours.
Despite immediate efforts to determine the root cause of the outage, officials from the Ceylon Electricity Board(CEB), reported that the exact reason was unknown at the time.
Acknowledging the severity of the situation, CEB engineers said that a nationwide power outage is a rare and serious occurrence. The situation prompted the CEB to take measures not only to restore power, but also to investigate the matter, they said.
A CEB deputy manager said that rapid and significant changes in voltage levels could have triggered the generators to trip, initiating the shutdown of the power system. The impact was particularly notable, starting from the Kelanitissa station.
In response to inquiries about the possibility of sabotage, the deputy manager deemed it unlikely given the circumstances.
The CEB assured the public that a thorough examination of the incident is under way, involving experts and officials to ascertain the cause and prevent future occurrences.
