Sri Lanka’s power system has suffered a major setback with two of the three generators at the coal-fired power plant at Norochcholai going out of service, cutting around 600 megawatts from the national grid, even as Energy Ministry officials stressed yesterday that the issue is minor and fully under control.

One unit has been offline since November for scheduled major maintenance carried out once every three years, while another was shut down following a technical fault in its boiler. As a result, only one generator, at the country’s largest and only coal-fired power station, is currently supplying electricity to the grid.

Despite the sharp reduction in coal-based generation, a senior spokesperson for the Norochcholai Power Plant assured that there would be no disruption to electricity supply, as hydroelectric power generation is being increased to compensate for the temporary shortfall from Norochcholai.

Ministry of Power and Energy officials also confirmed that the situation is not serious and does not pose a risk to the stability of the national grid. “This is a minor technical issue and routine maintenance activity. There is no cause for public concern,” a senior Ministry official said.

Meanwhile, a top official of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said all three units of the Norochcholai Power Plant are expected to be restored by the first week of January, delivering the full 900MW capacity back to the national grid.

“Current reservoir levels are favourable, allowing us to rely more on hydropower during this period,” the CEB official said, adding that system operations are being closely monitored.

A senior electrical engineer told The Island that one unit had been shut down in November for routine maintenance, while another unit suffered an unexpected breakdown earlier this week. “Such incidents are not unusual in large thermal power stations. Corrective work is already under way and the units will be brought back online as scheduled,” he said.

Norochcholai remains the backbone of Sri Lanka’s base-load electricity generation, and while prolonged outages could place strain on the system during dry periods, officials reiterated that current conditions and contingency measures are adequate to ensure uninterrupted power supply until full operations resume.

By Ifham Nizam ✍️

Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasingha has requested IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya to ensure his security and take action against those issuing death threats.

Dr. Jasingha, in a letter to the IGP, has alleged that a health official who has been suspended from service is using several persons to issue such threats. The Health Secretary has specifically referred to a statement made by civil society activist Asela Sampath on a social media platform to the effect that he should procure a bullet proof vehicle.

The Island learns that the Health Secretary has sought the IGP’s intervention before the Health Service Committee (HSC) of the Public Service Commission (PSC) interdicted Dr. Bellana.

Among numerous other schemes, under its High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) framework in Sri Lanka, the government of India (GoI) has been extending financial assistance to three housing-sector projects: Gram Shakthi Northern, Gram Shakthi Southern I and Gram Shakthi Southern II, under Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed in October 2017 and October 2018, the IHC said.

Text of the IHC statement: ” Under the provisions of the MoUs, GoI was releasing SLR 500,000 to low-income families selected by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) for construction of houses under the owner-driven model in the Northern and Southern provinces. Due to price escalations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its aftermath, as well as the economic challenges that arose in Sri Lanka in 2022, the projects’ beneficiaries found it difficult to complete the construction of their houses within the allocated assistance. Accordingly, based on request from GoSL, GoI agreed to double the financial support per house to SLR 1,000,000.

Diplomatic Letters to effect the revised assistance were exchanged by High Commissioner Santosh Jha and Secretary, Ministry of Housing Construction and Water Supply Eng. L.B. Kumudu Lal at a ceremony held at the High Commission of India on 30 December 2025. Over 1550 families will be benefitted by the revised assistance under the three projects.

‘Housing’ figures prominently among the numerous sectors in which people-centric development cooperation initiatives of India are bringing a positive impact in the everyday lives of the people of Sri Lanka. Close to 50,000 houses have been constructed and handed over under the flagship Indian Housing Project in the Northern and Eastern provinces and plantation regions of Sri Lanka. Construction of another 10,000 houses is underway as part of Phase IV of the project. Besides thethree Gram Shakthi projects to which financial support was revised upwards on 30 December, India is also implementing other HICDPs in the sector in Sri Lanka. These include the island-wide Model Village Project covering housing facilities for 24 low-income families in each of the 25 districts of the country; transit houses for pilgrims visiting the Madhu Shrine near Mannar; and the recently completed Ven. Shobhita Nahimigama project in Anuradhapura. Assistance to support construction of fully and partially damaged houses is also proposed under the USD 450 million reconstruction and recovery package for Sri Lanka announced by GoI in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.”