The 2023 Sri Lankan blackouts were a series of nationwide electrical blackouts which occurred in Sri Lanka on 9 December 2023. Blackouts began at around 5.00 pm SLST (UTC+5:30) and lasted for over three hours. The nationwide blackouts occurred due to a systematic failure in the main supply chain and due to a breakdown of the Kotmale Biyagama transmission line. [1] [2] [3]
The Ministry of Power and Energy issued a statement claiming that an islandwide blackout occurred due to the multiple lightning strikes on several transformers and power stations. The Ceylon Electricity Board insisted that it has been continuously working to restore the electricity in across all the regions of Sri Lanka. [4] [5]
Sri Lanka's electricity demand is currently met by thermal power stations (54.59%), major hydroelectric power stations (33.50%), wind farms (2.12%), small hydro facilities (8.01%) and other renewables such as solar (1.78%). [6] Sri Lanka as a whole last faced a major nationwide blackout in March 2016, which lasted for over eight hours. [7] Localised regional power cuts are common in Sri Lanka although nationwide blackouts are rare.
In 2022, Sri Lankans experienced daily power outages exceeding 10 hours per day at a time when the country was facing its worst economic crisis since its independence.
An energy crisis or energy shortage is any significant bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In literature, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, in particular, those that supply national electricity grids or those used as fuel in industrial development. Population growth has led to a surge in the global demand for energy in recent years. In the 2000s, this new demand – together with Middle East tension, the falling value of the US dollar, dwindling oil reserves, concerns over peak oil, and oil price speculation – triggered the 2000s energy crisis, which saw the price of oil reach an all-time high of $147.30 per barrel ($926/m3) in 2008.
A power outage is the loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user.
A rolling blackout, also referred to as rota or rotational load shedding, rota disconnection, feeder rotation, or a rotating outage, is an intentionally engineered electrical power shutdown in which electricity delivery is stopped for non-overlapping periods of time over different parts of the distribution region. Rolling blackouts are a last-resort measure used by an electric utility company to avoid a total blackout of the power system.
The Northeast blackout of 2003 was a widespread power outage throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, and most parts of the Canadian province of Ontario on Thursday, August 14, 2003, beginning just after 4:10 p.m. EDT.
The Ceylon Electricity Board - CEB, was the largest electricity company in Sri Lanka. With a market share of nearly 100%, it controlled all major functions of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and retailing in Sri Lanka. It was one of the only two on-grid electricity companies in the country; the other being Lanka Electricity Company (LECO). The company earned approximately Rs 204.7 billion in 2014, with a total of nearly 5.42 million consumer accounts. It was a government-owned and controlled utility of Sri Lanka that took care of the general energy facilities of the island. The Ministry of Power and Energy was the responsible ministry above the CEB. Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), established by the CEB Act No. 17 of 1969, was under the legal obligation to develop and maintain an efficient, coordinated and economical system of electricity supply in accordance with any licenses issued. The CEB was dissolved and replaced by 12 successor entities under the 2024 Electricity Act.
The Lakvijaya Power Station is the largest power station in Sri Lanka.
Several major power outages have occurred in the country of Malaysia.
Energy in Lebanon is characterized by a heavy reliance on imported fuels, which has led to significant challenges in ensuring a stable and sufficient supply of electricity. The country’s energy sector has been severely affected by a combination of internal political instability, external conflicts, and systemic corruption. The reliance on imported energy, coupled with rising demand and frequent infrastructure failures, has led to an ongoing energy crisis. This crisis has been further exacerbated by the destructive effects of military conflicts involving Hezbollah, particularly the wars against Israel and the war in Syria, which have strained the country's infrastructure and economy.
The South Australian blackout of 2016 was a widespread power outage in South Australia that occurred as a result of storm damage to electricity transmission infrastructure on 28 September 2016. The cascading failure of the electricity transmission network resulted in almost the entire state losing its electricity supply, affecting 850,000 SA customers. Kangaroo Island did not lose its supply, as the Kangaroo Island power station had been built to supply the island for the contingency of a failure in the power cable under the Backstairs Passage.
Nationwide recurring electrical blackouts in Venezuela began in March 2019. Experts and state-run Corpoelec sources attribute the electricity shortages to lack of maintenance and to a lack of technical expertise in the country resulting from a brain drain. Nicolás Maduro's administration attributes them to sabotage. Since March, various nationwide blackouts occurred in the country.
Venezuela has experienced a marked deficit in the generation of electrical energy. The immediate cause of the energy crisis was a prolonged drought that caused the water in the reservoir of the Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant to reach very low levels. Although various measures were taken to overcome the crisis, one of the most controversial was the implementation of a program of electrical rationing throughout the country, except in the capital Caracas, which was ultimately officially suspended in June 2010, due to the recovery of reservoirs due to the rains, and not to interrupt the transmission of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Power cuts have continued to occur in the interior of the country, although with less frequency and duration, this time driven by failures in other parts of the system. The situation of "electrical emergency" decreed by the government on 21 December 2009 was suspended on 30 November 2010; however, on 14 May 2011, after the country experienced two national blackouts, the government of Hugo Chávez announced a temporary rationing plan and acknowledged that the electricity system continued to face "generation weaknesses" that they did not expect to surpass until end the year.
The 2019 Sri Lanka electricity crisis was a crisis which happened nearly a month from 18 March to 10 April 2019 faced by Sri Lanka caused by a severe drought that depleted water levels at hydroelectric plants. Sri Lanka experienced rolling blackouts for three to five hours per day except on Sundays in all parts of the island nation at different time schedules that started from 24 March 2019 to present. This is regarded as one of the worst blackouts confronted in Sri Lanka since 2016 and the longest ever blackout recorded in history of the country. However it was revealed that the main electricity providing institution Ceylon Electricity Board had restricted the power supply to almost all regions of the country without proper prior notice and implemented a time schedule unofficially from 24 March 2019. However the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy revealed that it didn't grant and approve permission to CEB to impose power cuts.
The 2020 Sri Lankan blackouts were a series of electrical blackouts that occurred on 17 August 2020, beginning around 12.30 pm SLST (UTC+5:30) and lasting over seven hours. The nationwide blackouts occurred due to a transmission technical failure at the Kerawalapitiya Grid-Sub station. The Ministry of Power appointed a special committee to investigate the root cause behind the blackout.
In February 2021, the state of Texas suffered a major power crisis, which came about during three severe winter storms sweeping across the United States on February 10–11, 13–17, and 15–20. The storms triggered the worst energy infrastructure failure in Texas state history, leading to shortages of water, food, and heat. More than 4.5 million homes and businesses were left without power, some for several days. At least 246 people were killed directly or indirectly, with some estimates as high as 702 killed as a result of the crisis.
The 2021 Lebanon blackout was a power outage in Lebanon that started on 9 October 2021, after two of the country's power plants shut down when they ran out of diesel fuel. The two power stations provided 40% of Lebanon's electricity. Due to this, the power grid was shut down nationwide.
The 2023 Pakistan blackout was a power outage that occurred across the entirety of Pakistan on 23 January 2023. This was the second major grid breakdown in Pakistan in 2 years, and the second largest blackout in history. In the majority of the regions, the blackout lasted about 12–13 hours while in some areas such as rural communities, it lasted even longer, ranging from 24 to 72 hour long outages.
The 2024 Lebanon blackout is an ongoing total nationwide power outage across Lebanon that began on 17 August 2024 due to the state electricity company of Lebanon, Électricité du Liban, running out of fuel reserves for its power plants. The blackout led to a widespread water shortages due to the inability of Lebanese water corporations to pump water in effective amounts, as well as the halting of several fundamental institutions across Lebanon, including, wastewater treatment systems, ports, airports, and prisons.
The 2024 Venezuelan blackouts were a series of interruptions to Venezuela's electrical service nationwide. The interruptions began on 27 August with a blackout that affected 12 states in the country at around 7:12 pm VET, lasting until service restorations began at approximately 8:30 pm. On 30 August, another blackout was recorded that left more than 20 states in the country without electricity, beginning at 4:50 am and leaving a significant portion of the nation without power for 12 hours, with harder-hit areas not having power for 20 hours. Outages were again reported in Caracas on 1 September, continuing as of 3 September and through 5 September.
The 2024 Cuba blackouts were a series of interruptions to the nationwide electrical service of Cuba. The blackouts began in February 2024 with power outages that affected nearly half of the country. In March, further blackouts caused widespread protests. On October 6, a third of the country experienced outages. From 18 to 22 October 2024, a total nationwide blackout occurred due to the failure of the Antonio Guiteras Power Plant. During the October shutdowns, the Cuban government announced energy-saving measures. The blackouts were the most severe living crisis that the country has experienced since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
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