The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) last week imposed restrictions on solar power generation, instructing small-scale ground-mounted power producers to reduce their output to the national grid between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
It remains uncertain whether these curtailments will continue, as producers were only verbally notified on the morning of February 16, 2025—the day the first reduction was enforced—to cut their production by 50 percent each.
According to Sameera Ganegoda, President of the Grid Connected Solar Power Association, all affected plants have capacities exceeding 10 MW. He also emphasized that the power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed between the CEB and these producers do not contain provisions allowing such curtailment.
Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has requested an official report from the CEB regarding these power cuts, which were carried out without prior notice to the regulatory body. The PUCSL has also sought clarification on the CEB’s future plans concerning solar power supply to the grid.
These developments follow the nationwide power failure on February 9, 2025. In a press release, the CEB attributed the blackout to a disturbance at the 33kV Panadura Grid Substation (GSS), which led to a sudden voltage drop across the network.
“At the time of the incident, over 50% of the national electricity demand was met by 800 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, supplemented by the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai (470 MW) and hydropower plants (130 MW),” the CEB stated.
The statement further explained that the grid’s reliance on high levels of non-synchronous solar PV generation resulted in low system inertia, making it more vulnerable to faults. “The disturbance caused an imbalance between generation and demand, triggering cascading disconnections and a total power failure. A sharp voltage drop led to multiple solar PV systems disconnecting, exacerbating the instability.”
As a precautionary measure, the CEB announced that it would curtail ground-mounted solar PV generation when necessary during periods of low electricity demand to mitigate risks of grid instability. The restriction does not apply to rooftop solar installations.
However, industry sources expressed concerns over the sudden nature of the instructions, arguing that the move contradicts the least-cost principle. They also questioned the selection criteria for the affected power plants and the methodology used to determine the extent of power restrictions.
