CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA 
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Feb 9 islandwide power outage caused by low system stability
Colombo, April 23 (Daily Mirror) - The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has confirmed that the primary cause of the nationwide power outage on February 9, 2025, was low system stability, technically referred to as low 'system inertia', resulting from an exceptionally high contribution of solar photovoltaic (PV) power at the time.
While issuing a clarification, the CEB said that on that day, solar power supplied more than half of the country’s electricity demand.
The CEB further informed that this conclusion was reached following the results of a comprehensive investigation conducted by an independent Expert Committee into the nationwide blackout.
According to the investigation, the incident was triggered by a disturbance at the 33kv Panadura Grid Substation, which caused a sudden voltage drop across the entire electricity network. This occurred on a low-demand weekend, commonly referred to as the Sunny Sunday effect, when industrial and commercial electricity consumption is lower. With a high proportion of solar power generation and reduced output from traditional power plants, the grid lacked sufficient inertia to absorb the disturbance. This imbalance between electricity generation and demand rapidly escalated, resulting in cascading failures and ultimately leading to a complete islandwide blackout.
The investigation emphasised that conventional power stations, which typically stabilise the grid by providing inertia, were operating at minimal levels due to the large share of solar generation. To mitigate future risks and enhance grid resilience, the Committee recommended the urgent implementation of measures outlined in the Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan (LTGEP) and the Long-Term Transmission Plan. These include the deployment of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), synchronous condensers, and modifications to enable conventional generators to operate as synchronous condensers.
Additionally, the Committee strongly advised the installation of real-time inertia indicators on the grid’s control systems (mimic boards) to improve operational oversight and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Importantly, the findings of the Expert Committee fully corroborate the details provided by the CEB in its initial media statement released on February 18, 2025. Consequently, we categorically dismiss recent false claims suggesting the blackout was caused by a defect at the Victoria Power Station or that the CEB misrepresented the outage’s cause. Such claims are entirely baseless and directly contradicted by the Committee’s evidence-based conclusions.
The CEB remains firmly committed to providing reliable electricity services and maintaining transparent, timely communication with the public.
We sincerely thank all stakeholders for their cooperation and understanding as we work to enhance the stability and resilience of Sri Lanka’s electricity network.
The complete committee report is available for public viewing on the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) website.
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