Colombo (LNW): The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has not yet launched an investigation into the island-wide blackout that occurred on December 9, attributed to a lightning strike on the transmission line from Kotmale to Biyagama, reports said.
Although the blackout was initially cited as the result of a lightning strike causing the transmission line to trip, the CEB has not undertaken a thorough inquiry to determine the precise cause.
The line, carrying about 500MW at the time, tripped, leading to a loss of one-third of the supply and triggering a severe under frequency, causing other generators to trip and resulting in a nationwide blackout.
Despite initial promises of a probe, the CEB has not taken action, raising questions about whether negligence played a role, critics pointed out.
A similar incident occurred in December 2020, and a committee was appointed to investigate, but it remains unclear why its recommendations were not implemented to prevent a recurrence.
The delay in investigating the recent blackout, which caused economic losses, has raised concerns. CEB spokesman Noel Priyantha mentioned that the committee’s appointment is pending, causing the delay.
