Power cuts an act of sabotage? Probe underway

The Minister of Power, Gamini Lokuge says that an investigation is underway to determine whether the sudden power outage on Thursday (03), was an act of sabotage.

He said the investigation was launched based on a request by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL).

According to Minister Lokuge, at the time the discussion on power cuts, which was held on Thursday afternoon, it was concluded that there was no need for power cuts that day.

However, Minister Lokuge said that the required fuel was not supplied to the Barge Mounted Power Plant and the Sapugaskanda Power Plant, resulting in power cuts on Thursday, although the CEB had not made any announcement to that effect.

He said around 1,600 MW of power is required to meet the demand for electricity during peak hours, however the CEB is has the capacity to meet the demand on holidays such as the weekend.

The Minister further noted that power cuts are NOT likely in the coming days as well and the CEB is taking measures to ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity.