Nationwide Power Outage Strikes Sri Lanka Amid Unsettled Economy

Sri Lanka has experienced a nationwide power cut following an incident at a sub-station, prompting hospitals and businesses to switch to generators.

Sri Lanka is currently grappling with a significant power outage that began at approximately 11:30 AM local time (06:00 GMT). An emergency at a critical sub-station has left many areas without electricity, and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is actively working to resolve the issue. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody attributed the power disruption to an unusual cause—essentially, a monkey that allegedly interacted with the grid transformer, leading to a system imbalance.

Minister Jayakody emphasized that engineering teams are on site, striving to restore power promptly. In the interim, countless hospitals and businesses across the island nation of 22 million residents are forced to rely on generators or inverters to maintain operations. This incident marks a concerning recurrence of power shortages for Sri Lanka, which faced extensive outages during its severe economic crisis in 2022. The ongoing energy challenges continue to overshadow the lives of the Sri Lankan people, who reflect on the everyday struggles resulting from a nation in economic turmoil.