Sri Lanka suffers nationwide electricity blackout

Sri Lanka faced a nationwide electricity blackout on a Sunday in February 2025 after the national grid experienced a tripping fault, potentially due to excess solar power generation outpacing consumption, as reported by State-run Electricity Distribution Lanka (EDL). The outage left the country without grid power for over two hours, with officials providing no clear timeline for restoration.

Energy minister Anura Karunathilaka indicated authorities aimed to restore supplies in stages. Karunathilaka appealed to rooftop solar system owners to disconnect their systems temporarily to aid the restoration efforts. The blackout occurred when solar power generation surpassed consumption on a bright, sunny Sunday. Restoration took more than six hours.

Sri Lanka possesses an installed solar power capacity of slightly more than 3,000 megawatts, whereas daytime demand fluctuates between 2,000 and 2,500 megawatts. The government encourages solar usage through tax concessions, leading to imbalances that the utility provider faces challenges managing. The government seeks to augment solar power generation to nearly 4,400 megawatts within three years, marking a 388% rise from 2024.