Electricity demand management measures ended on Thursday after the National System Operator (NSO) said Unit 2 of the Lakvijaya Power Station had returned to its full 270 MW capacity.
In a statement, the NSO said the restrictions would no longer be required from 22 October. It thanked consumers for their cooperation during the power restrictions that ran from 19 to 21 October.
The Lakvijaya coal power plant at Norochcholai was disconnected from the national grid on the morning of 17 October, according to plant officials. They said the disconnection followed safety procedures after an imbalance in the electricity system. A countrywide blackout followed on that day.
Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka visited the plant on Wednesday to inspect the restoration work. He held discussions with engineers and technical officers and instructed them to speed up the process, officials said.
Unit 1 of the plant had not been confirmed back in service in the reports available on Thursday. The Island newspaper reported that the unit remained offline, and plant officials said work was continuing to bring the plant fully back into operation.
Background
Lakvijaya, also known as the Norochcholai power plant, is a coal-fired station in the Puttalam District. It is one of the principal generating facilities supplying the national grid, so the loss of a unit can force the system operator to limit demand when other sources cannot make up the shortfall.
The cause of the Unit 1 failure has not been established. Opposition politicians have alleged that poor coal quality contributed to the incident. Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa rejected the claim and said there was no link between coal quality and the technical failure.
Dr. Jayatissa said Unit 1 had been under maintenance for 62 days, from 30 July to 30 September, and that coal from a new shipment had been used for generation since 4 September. Power sector experts quoted by The Island said the cause should be settled by technical investigation rather than by statements, and that the use of a new coal shipment does not by itself show whether the fuel met specifications.
Asked about the financial cost of the blackout, Dr. Jayatissa said the Opposition was calculating the figure and would announce it next week. “Our job is to restore the system,” he said.
What it means
For households and businesses, the NSO announcement means the scheduled supply restrictions that applied from 19 to 21 October are no longer in force. Electricity should now be available without the demand management measures.
The restoration does not answer the question of what caused the failure. Businesses that depend on steady power, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises that must run backup generators during interruptions, will be watching for the findings of the technical investigation and for any further notice from the NSO.
