Sri Lanka hit by nationwide blackout as grid fails; power restored in stages
The island's entire power grid went down on Saturday, and households with rooftop solar were asked to disconnect while supply was brought back area by area. The cause has not been confirmed.
Sri Lanka suffered a nationwide electricity blackout on Saturday after its national grid shut down, leaving the entire country without grid power for more than two hours before supply was gradually restored.
Traffic lights went dark in Colombo and businesses lost power as engineers worked to bring the system back. Electricity returned in stages, with parts of Colombo, Gampaha, Galle and Badulla among the first areas to be reconnected, and the transmission system was reported fully restored later on Saturday.
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Cause still unclear
Officials offered differing explanations. The state-run electricity distributor said it suspected that excess solar generation, exceeding demand, had tripped the grid. Energy Minister Anura Karunathilake was also reported to have pointed to a problem at a hydropower station, while the national system operator denied that any plants had broken down. The government's information department described the cause as system instability. No final finding has been published.
The minister asked owners of rooftop solar systems to disconnect them until further notice to help stabilise the grid during the restoration. The grid operator has said it will complete an inquiry into the failure within a month.
A recurring problem
This is not the first time solar surplus has been blamed for a grid failure in Sri Lanka. In February 2025, the whole grid collapsed on a sunny Sunday when solar output outstripped demand, and restoring supply took more than six hours, according to AFP. The country has a little over 3,000 MW of installed solar capacity, while daytime demand is typically 2,000 to 2,500 MW, and the government plans to expand solar further.
Why it matters for India
Sri Lanka's experience is a cautionary tale for India, which is adding rooftop and utility-scale solar at a rapid pace. Managing midday surpluses requires storage, flexible generation and stronger grid controls. India and Sri Lanka have also discussed a cross-border power link, which could in future help the island balance its supply.
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