Sri Lanka faces one-hour power cuts again today

Image by Onlanka.com

One-hour power cuts will continue across Sri Lanka today (October 20, 2026), between 4:30 PM and 9:00 PM, as the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai remains out of operation.

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) announced yesterday (October 19) that it had approved a request from the National System Operator Company to carry out the power cuts.

Under the approved schedule, areas across the country will be divided into four zones, with each zone facing a one-hour power cut between 4:30 PM and 9:00 PM.

However, electricity supplies to hospitals and essential service facilities will not be interrupted.

All three generating units at the Lakvijaya Power Plant remain out of operation following the islandwide power failure on Saturday (October 17, 2026).

As a result, the National System Operator Company decided yesterday to introduce daily one-hour power cuts to manage the country’s electricity supply.

The daily one-hour power cuts began yesterday (October 19), with interruptions reported across Sri Lanka.

Chief Executive Officer of the National System Operator Company, Eng. Buddhika Samarasekara, said similar power cuts would be necessary today (October 20) and tomorrow (October 21).