The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) yesterday announced that there will be no power cuts today as it is possible to manage the existing electricity demand since today is a Poya day and there will be no large demand like on other days.

Following the sudden power outage that occurred last Sunday, all three generators at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant became inoperative and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has implemented countrywide power cuts, scheduling one-and-a-half-hour outages between 3.30 pm and 9.30 pm day before yesterday and yesterday to manage electricity demand due to issues with the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, which is currently experiencing operational limitations following a recent power outage.

CEB Chairman Dr.Tilak Siyambalapitiya stated that efforts are underway to expedite the restoration process. The power generated by the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant is expected to be added back to the national grid by Friday, February 14.

“We believe we will be able to restore the power supply to normal within the next three to four days. By February 14, we expect full restoration, which would eliminate the need for demand management. However, we are also working to restore power earlier than expected, and if successful, we will notify the public in advance, he added.

He further noted that the ongoing one-and-a-half-hour power cuts may be reduced in the coming days as the restoration progresses.

“Norochcholai is considered the strongest coal power plant in Sri Lanka’s electricity grid, as it is the largest coal-fired power station in the country, generating the most electricity from coal compared to any other plant in the nation,”he said.

“Even if there is a sudden power outage, the Norochcholai power plant cannot be stopped at once and also it cannot restart immediately. This is as a result of its protection mechanisms and not a fault as such. When it is stopped there is an immense steam build-up. That is the technology. It will take around four days to restart the three generators at the Norochcholai plant. This is an activation of the protection system in the plant and not a fault of it,” he added.

(dailynews.lk)
(This story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)