The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) says it will issue an enforcement order for the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) pertaining to the announcement of a blackout today.
PUCSL Chairman Janaka Rathnayake said that the enforcement order will be issued in order to prevent a similar incident from repeating.
An investigation will be undertaken by the PUCSL on the partial power disruption that took place early this morning due to the trade union action by the CEB Engineers’ Union.
Necessary action will also be taken if the power disruption is found to have been attempts of sabotage, Rathnayake said.
“The PUCSL has no issues with the CEB launching a trade union action without disturbing the public. However, the Commission will not tolerate if the public is disturbed due to the CEB Union’s actions,” he said.
The PUCSL Chairman further said that the Commission has already advised the government on the fuel requirement needed until December 2022 to ensure the continuous supply of electricity.
The PUCSL will carefully monitor all the proposals that are received for electricity generations and would not approve them if it does not meet the requirements.
All the proposals will have to go through the process of approval of the PUCSL, Janaka Rathnayake added.
The PUCSL made the announcement after the power supply was disrupted in several areas early this morning due to a trade union action that was launched by the CEB Engineers’ Union at midnight yesterday.
The CEBEU had warned of causing a blackout today due to its trade union action over several demands, including power-related projects and amendments to the Electricity Act. (NewsWire)