‘Monkey’ menace: Sri Lanka faces nationwide blackout chaos, power cuts to follow
A monkey caused a major power outage in Sri Lanka, leading to scheduled 90-minute power cuts due to a breakdown at the Norochcholai coal power plant.
Sri Lanka is set to experience a 90-minute power cut on Monday and Tuesday due to a breakdown at a coal power plant, news agency PTI reported. The power cut comes after the country faced a nearly six-hour nationwide outage on Sunday when a monkey caused a disruption at a Colombo suburb grid station.
Energy minister Kumara Jayakody, quoted by The Guardian, explained, “A monkey came into contact with our grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the power system.”
The blackout began around 11.00 local time (05:30 GMT) on Sunday, the BBC reported. It forced many to rely on generators, and officials noted that restoring power could take several hours.
The Ceylon Electricity Board apologised for the outage but did not clarify how a single incident led to such a widespread disruption. There was also no update on the monkey’s condition.
Due to the power supply shortage caused by the failure at the 900-megawatt Norochcholai coal power plant in the northwestern region, the Ceylon Electricity Board announced scheduled 90-minute power cuts.
According to its statement, the power rationing will occur in two slots between 3 pm and 9.30 pm across different areas on both days. It also mentioned that Sunday's sudden blackout led to operations at the Lakvijaya power station being shut down.
Social media reactions
On social media, Sri Lankans compared the incident to a slapstick comedy, while some pointed out the vulnerability of the country’s power grid. One user questioned the infrastructure, writing, “One monkey = total chaos. Time to rethink infrastructure?” Another joked, “Only in Sri Lanka can a monkey knock out the entire nation’s electricity.”
An X user described the situation, saying, "A rogue monkey knocked out Sri Lanka's entire power grid after triggering a total failure at a substation in Colombo."
Meanwhile, another X user shared an illustration of the monkey god Hanuman from the Hindu epic Ramayana, recalling the tale where he set Sri Lanka on fire during a war with the demon king Ravana. “Sri Lanka tasted monkey business in the past,” he wrote.
Beyond the memes and online humour, the incident highlighted Sri Lanka’s ongoing challenges with energy security. Experts have repeatedly warned that the country’s outdated power grid remains highly susceptible to disruptions.
First power rationing since 2022
Sri Lanka has faced power shortages before. During the severe economic crisis in 2022, rolling blackouts became a harsh reality as fuel shortages forced authorities to ration electricity for up to 13 hours a day.
Powercuts from Sunday marks the first instance of power rationing since August 2022, when the country’s economic collapse led to severe shortages of essential commodities, including fuel and electricity.
A lack of foreign exchange reserves resulted in 12-hour power cuts and long queues for fuel and other necessities. The crisis sparked massive street protests between April and July 2022, ultimately forcing then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and later resign.
Sri Lanka's recovery efforts were supported by a $4 billion credit line from India.
