Cabinet seeks cost estimates to implement power outage recommendations

Friday, 28 August 2020 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Committee recognises non-availability of disaster management methodology
11 recommendations submitted
Cabinet Spokesman says unfair to blame Power Minister for blackout

By Asiri Fernando

The Cabinet has requested the Minister of Power to submit estimates of cost needed to implement a range of precautionary measures which have been recommended by the committee investigating the power outages on 17 August.

The report points to a mistake made by an officer responsible for general maintenance at Kerawalapitiya Grid Sub-Station at the time as the cause of the outage.

The Committee who investigated the blackout has recognised of the non-availability of a disaster management methodology for monitoring and maintenance of power generation and the grid and has made 11 recommendations including the need of having a more reliable monitoring and maintenance methodology for prevention of disasters.

Responding to a question, Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella argued that it was unfair to blame the Minister of Power for the countrywide power outage only 96 hours after he had assumed duties. He stated that the Electricity Board maintenance officer will be held responsible under the establishment code.

“This is an interim report, a more detailed report will come in the coming days. Human errors can happen, but how we can stop an error causing an islandwide blackout is an important question which the recommendations will help to address,” Co-Cabinet Spokesman Udaya Gammanpila stressed.

The Cabinet spokesmen downplayed the possibility of a conspiracy behind the outage, arguing that there was no evidence to support that theory.