Sri Lanka's national grid operator vows to complete probe into nationwide power outage within 1 month

COLOMBO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's National System Operator (NSO) will conduct a comprehensive investigation into Saturday's nationwide power outage and submit its findings within one month, NSO Chairman Pradeep Priyadarshana said on Sunday.

An inoperative traffic light is seen during a nationwide outage, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Oct. 17, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

Priyadarshana said the investigation report would be submitted to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka and the relevant ministry.

The report is also expected to recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, he said.

Sri Lanka experienced an island-wide blackout at around 11:45 a.m. local time on Saturday after instability in the electricity transmission network resulted in a total failure of the national grid, according to the NSO.

Power restoration began area by area from around noon, with electricity supply returning to most parts of the country by about 6 p.m. The transmission system was later fully restored.