Opposition MP D. V. Chanaka has alleged that power cuts took place at 45 locations yesterday due to low-quality coal, contradicting the government’s claim that no electricity cuts occurred.
Speaking on the matter, Chanaka said he had warned in Parliament nearly two weeks ago that Sri Lanka would face power cuts within weeks due to substandard coal affecting electricity generation.
He claimed that 45 feeders were switched off simultaneously without proper approval, resulting in power interruptions across several areas.
Chanaka further alleged that the government later described the situation as “power breakdowns” rather than power cuts, but said the Ceylon Electricity Board system control centre report categorized the incident as “manual load shedding” due to insufficient power generation.
He explained that “manual load shedding” effectively meant switching off electricity supply to selected areas, which he said amounted to power cuts.
Chanaka also alleged that around 150 megawatts of expected power generation was lost due to poor-quality coal, forcing authorities to manually disconnect feeders.
He further claimed that power cuts were carried out without approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, which he said was mandatory before implementing load shedding. (Newswire)