The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I will speak on two areas of my Ministry—petroleum supply and electricity—amid the nationwide crisis caused by the cyclone.

¶ 02 Unprecedented rainfall and high winds severely damaged the power system. About 132,000 breakdowns were reported; 62,447 have been restored. We are working to restore the rest within the coming days, with CEB and LECO staff labouring without rest.

¶ 03 Major incidents include the collapse of transmission towers on the 132 kV Rantambe–Mahiyanganaya line, affecting supply to Mahiyangana, Ampara and adjacent areas. As a temporary measure, we have back‑fed critical nodes in Ampara via the Monaragala–Badulla line, but capacity is limited—some areas receive only 2–2½ hours per day on a rotational basis. A temporary tower is being erected and by 10 December we aim to restore that line and normalize supply.

¶ 04 There is also damage to the Ukuwela–Bowatanna line; a temporary tower is being installed with the same 10 December target. The Kolonnawa Grid Substation was flooded—restoration is underway. The Ukuwela–Habarana 132 kV line was also damaged. Several major distribution substations, including Getambe primary GSS and Kotugoda GSS, were affected but are being restored. Some places remain difficult due to receding waters. We are deploying generators where needed for temporary supply.

¶ 05 Water supply issues persist where treatment plants and pumping stations were flooded and where power is off. In Kandy, drinking water was unavailable until yesterday morning as the Getambe plant was submerged and many underground cables in Kandy, Peradeniya and Katugastota developed faults. We are providing temporary solutions while full reinstatement will take time. Our goal is to restore power to households, industry and services as fast as possible, and we ask the public to also repair internal wiring with certified technicians as many houses were inundated.

¶ 06 On petroleum, 38 filling stations were affected by flooding; this is now reduced to 24 and we expect to normalize soon after cleaning and safety checks. Supply routes have been arranged, including small bowsers to Nuwara Eliya, to avoid shortages. Rumours of fuel scarcity are false. With the cooperation of CEB and Mahaweli staff, we protected hydropower assets—at one point Victoria was within about 1–1.5 metres of submergence risk but was managed. We will continue working to provide uninterrupted electricity and petroleum as a Government responsibility.

¶ 07 Thank you.