COLOMBO, Oct 17, 2026 - Sri Lanka experienced a nationwide electricity blackout on Saturday after its national grid collapsed, possibly due to solar power generation exceeding electricity demand, officials said. Report BSS/AFP
The country remained without grid electricity for more than two hours, with no clear timeline initially available for the full restoration of supplies.
State-run Electricity Distribution Lanka (EDL) said engineers were working to resolve a fault affecting the entire grid. Authorities suspected that excess solar power generation had contributed to the breakdown.
Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka said electricity supplies would be restored in stages. He also urged rooftop solar system owners to disconnect their installations temporarily to support restoration efforts.
“We request rooftop solar system owners to disconnect their systems until further instructions in order to support the restoration efforts,” he said in a brief statement.
Sri Lanka experienced a similar nationwide blackout in February 2025, when solar power generation reportedly exceeded consumption on a sunny Sunday. Restoring electricity supplies then took more than six hours.
The latest incident has raised concerns about the challenges of integrating rapidly expanding solar power generation into the national grid.
Sri Lanka has an installed solar power capacity of just over 3,000 megawatts, while daytime electricity demand typically ranges from 2,000 to 2,500 megawatts.
Tax incentives have encouraged households and businesses to install solar systems and sell surplus electricity to the grid. However, managing fluctuations in solar generation and maintaining grid stability have become growing challenges for the state-run utility.
The government aims to increase installed solar power capacity to nearly 4,400 megawatts within three years, representing a 388 percent increase from the 2024 level.
The blackout highlights the importance of strengthening grid management, improving system flexibility and ensuring that renewable energy expansion is supported by adequate infrastructure to maintain reliable electricity supplies.
