Overview
- A sudden national system failure knocked out electricity across Sri Lanka and engineers completed staged restoration with some areas back by about 5:30 p.m. and most by about 7:00 p.m.
- Energy Minister Anura Karunatilaka said a fault detected at a central hill hydropower station is a possible trigger and investigators are still examining what exactly caused the collapse.
- Authorities asked owners of rooftop solar systems to temporarily disconnect from the grid to help stabilise supply while the National System Operator and distribution engineers worked on recovery.
- The blackout disrupted water delivery, internet access and mobile services and prompted the national water agency to warn residents to conserve limited supplies during restoration.
- Experts and officials note Sri Lanka has installed more than 3,000 MW of solar while daytime demand is about 2,000–2,500 MW, and a similar solar-related nationwide failure in February 2025 highlights growing grid-balancing and operational challenges as solar capacity expands.