Grid disruption leads to island-wide power outage

A monkey’s unexpected intrusion at an electrical grid substation in a suburb of south Colombo triggered a nationwide power outage in Sri Lanka on Sunday, leaving millions without power for hours, as confirmed by the state-owned electricity producer and supplier, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The outage, which began around 11:30 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), was still affecting parts of the island more than three hours later.

Officials confirm cause of power outage

“A monkey has come in contact with our grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the system,” Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody told reporters.

While engineers were able to restore electricity in some areas, it remained unclear how long it would take to fully resolve the disruption.

“Engineers are attending to it to try and restore the service as soon as possible,” Jayakody added.

Sri Lanka’s history of power crises

The unexpected power outage is reminiscent of the country’s prolonged energy crisis in 2022, when an economic collapse led to severe fuel shortages. At the time, Sri Lankans endured daily power cuts lasting up to 13 hours as thermal power plants struggled to operate without sufficient fuel.

While Sunday’s outage was not linked to fuel shortages, it underscores the fragility of Sri Lanka’s power infrastructure, which has faced repeated challenges in recent years. Authorities have not disclosed whether any measures will be taken to prevent similar disruptions caused by wildlife in the future.