Generator Unit 1 at the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai remains offline after a technical failure linked to the nationwide blackout of 17 October, Cabinet Spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said on Tuesday.
Responding to journalists, Jayatissa rejected opposition allegations that substandard coal contributed to the power failure. “There is no link between the coal quality and this incident, as the coal being used from 4 September is from new shipments,” he said.
He said the generator had been shut down for maintenance for 62 days, from 30 July to 30 September. Coal from a new shipment has been used for generation since 4 September, he added.
Asked about the financial losses caused by the outage, which journalists said the opposition was calculating, Jayatissa said the opposition would announce those figures next week. “Our job is to restore the system,” he said.
Jayatissa said he hoped the plant would return to normal operations from Wednesday, in line with assurances given by the authorities.
Separately, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has extended the term of the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry into coal imports until 16 December. The commission’s term had been due to end on 16 October, and the extension was made through Extraordinary Gazette No. 2510/81.
The commission is examining alleged irregularities and illegal activities relating to coal imports, coal-based electricity generation and the procurement operations of Lanka Coal (Private) Limited. Its mandate covers the period from the start of coal power generation up to 16 April 2026.
Background
The Lakvijaya Power Plant at Norochcholai in the Puttalam District is Sri Lanka’s only coal-fired power station and one of the largest single sources of electricity on the national grid. Because of that, the loss of a unit or a fault at the plant is felt across the system.
The commission was established through Extraordinary Gazette No. 2484/08, issued on 17 April 2026, under the Special Presidential Commissions of Inquiry Act, No. 4 of 1978. It has three members: Supreme Court Judge K. M. G. H. Kulugammana, Court of Appeal Judge Aditya Karunaratne Maddumapatabendige and High Court Judge Hettisinghege Sanjeewa Somaratne.
The extension will allow the commission to continue its investigations, complete its inquiries and submit its final findings. The commission’s remit is coal imports and related operations. It was appointed in April, months before the 17 October blackout, and it is not an inquiry into that outage.
What it means
For households and businesses, the immediate question is how soon Unit 1 returns to service. The Government has said it hopes to see normal operations at the plant from Wednesday, but it has not published a firm timetable for the repair.
The dispute over coal quality is between the Government and the opposition. The Government says the coal used since 4 September is from a new shipment and is unrelated to the failure, and no findings have been published to settle the question either way.
