Island wide power failure on Dec 9 PUCSL says CEB admitted failure to restore power immediately

• CEB denies claim
• The island-wide power failure had occurred due to a system failure in the main supply line 

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya and Chaturanga Samarawickrama
While Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) said the CEB admitted failure to restore power after the breakdown on December 9, CEB denied the claim. .   
The CEB was referring to the statement made by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Prof. M. A. R. M. Fernando which said CEB has admitted that it had failed to restore power immediately after the power failure on December 9.    

Prof. Fernando told Daily Mirror that the power failure had occurred due to a failure in the main supply line. “This was a natural situation and was not sabotage. CEB has admitted that they failed to restore the power supply immediately,” he said.   
The CEB said that a statement regarding the cause of the power failure can only be issued after the completion of the relevant investigations.   
They said an internal and an external investigation committee are investigating the incident.   
The Internal Investigation Committee, chaired by an Additional General Manager of CEB, will focus on examining the fundamental factors leading to the island-wide power outage. This committee will scrutinize the procedures followed by officers and employees during the incident, proposing necessary measures and recommendations to prevent similar occurrences in the future.   
“Furthermore, the Ministry of Power and Energy has appointed an External Investigation Committee composed of scholars, including lecturers and professors from Sri Lankan universities. This committee’s mandate involves identifying the event’s origin, conducting technical investigations, reviewing the restoration timeline, and formulating measures to prevent or minimize such incidents in the future,” the CEB said.