Monkey Causes Islandwide Power Outage
On Sunday, February 9, 2025, Sri Lanka experienced a nationwide power outage after a monkey reportedly triggered a failure at a power substation south of Colombo.
The blackout, which began at approximately 10:45 AM local time, lasted for several hours, affecting millions across the country.
Additionally, authorities prioritized power restoration for critical facilities such as hospitals and water purification plants. Electricity was then fully restored by 6:00 PM, according to the Times of India.
Officials Link Outage to Monkey Incident
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody stated that a group of monkeys entered the Panadura Power Station, leading to a disturbance in the system.
During the scuffle, one monkey allegedly made contact with a high-voltage transmission wire, disrupting the grid transformer and causing an imbalance in the national power system.
“A monkey has come in contact with our grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the system,” the minister told reporters, BBC reports.
Security Guard Questions Official Explanation
However, a security guard stationed at the power facility cast doubt on the official explanation.
In an interview with local media, he claimed to have heard a loud explosion and seen a fireball at the site, suggesting the outage could have been caused by a more serious breakdown rather than the monkey incident alone.
“Monkeys jump into the power station very often. This does not seem to have been caused by a monkey,” the guard told the Daily Mirror, according to The Independent.
Minister Apologizes for Blackout
In response, the Energy Ministry issued an apology to Sri Lanka’s 23 million residents for the inconvenience caused by the blackout.
Authorities also warned that power cuts could persist in the coming days due to a breakdown at the Norochcholai coal power plant, which was impacted by the outage.
Concerns Over Sri Lanka’s Power Infrastructure
The outage has renewed concerns about Sri Lanka’s fragile electricity infrastructure. According to engineers cited by local media, the country’s national grid has long been in a weakened state, making it vulnerable to failures from even minor disturbances.
Consecutive governments have been urged to upgrade the system to prevent recurring outages.
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