By The Pulseline News Desk
All three generating units at the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai have temporarily shut down following the islandwide power outage reported this morning (17), according to Energy Minister Anura Karunathilake.
The Minister has said that, apart from the Samanalawewa and New Laxapana power stations, all other power-generating stations, including Norochcholai, had shut down following the disruption.
The blackout occurred at around 11.45 a.m. after instability in the national electricity grid led to a total system failure, according to the National System Operator (NSO).
The NSO said efforts were underway to restore electricity supply across the country.
The shutdown of the three Norochcholai units is significant because the coal-fired power plant has an installed capacity of approximately 900 megawatts and is a major contributor to Sri Lanka’s electricity supply.
With several generating stations affected by the system failure, restoring electricity requires authorities to bring available generating units back online and stabilise the national grid.
The exact cause of the blackout remains under investigation. The Energy Minister has said a fault at one of the generating units at the Upper Kotmale Power Station was suspected to have contributed to the disruption, although authorities had not confirmed whether it was the direct cause.
Meanwhile, the NSO has requested owners of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems to switch off their systems until further notice to support efforts to restore the electricity supply.
Authorities have not announced a confirmed timeline for the full restoration of electricity across the island.
Meanwhile, power supply has been restored to some areas in Colombo, Gampaha, Galle and Badulla, according to the NSO.
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