The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has given the approval for three-hour power interruptions for the next four days.

The power cut duration was extended as the national grid lost 270 megawatts of electricity due to the breakdown of Unit 1 at the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai. Power & Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said the technical staff members were working to identify the fault.

According to the CEB, at least two weeks are required to restore operations of Unit 1.

Meanwhile, due to the essential maintenance work of Unit 2, the national grid has lost another 270 megawatts of electricity. Accordingly, only Unit 3 is operative at the moment.

Owing to the situation, the West Coast Power and other fuel power plants will be used to manage the power supply for the time being, Minister Wijesekera said further.

However, no changes were made to the rolling power cut duration scheduled for the day. Accordingly, the power supply is interrupted for one hour and 20 minutes today.

The power cut schedule for August 16, 17, 18 and 19 are as follows:

Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW:
One hour and 40 minutes during daytime / One hour and 20 minutes at night

Groups CC:
Two hours and 30 minutes between 6.00 am and 8.30 am

Groups MNOXYZ:
Three hours between 5.30 am and 8.30 am