The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) announced yesterday that there will be no power cuts today (11) as the electricity demand is lower due to the Poya holiday.
Following the nationwide power outage last Sunday, all three generators at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plantbecame inoperative, leading to scheduled power cuts of one-and-a-half hours on the 9th and 10th of February to manage electricity demand.
Norochcholai Restoration Progress
CEB Chairman Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya stated that efforts are underway to expedite the restoration process at Norochcholai, and full capacity 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 said.
Technical Challenges at Norochcholai
Dr. Siyambalapitiya further explained that Norochcholai is Sri Lanka’s strongest coal power plant, generating the highest electricity output from coal. However, due to its protection mechanisms, the plant cannot be restarted immediately after a sudden shutdown.
“Even if there is a sudden power outage, the Norochcholai power plant cannot be stopped at once, nor can it restart immediately. When it is stopped, there is an immense steam build-up. That is the technology. It takes around four days to restart all three generators,” he explained.
The CEB assured that ongoing power cuts may be reduced in the coming days as restoration progresses.
