Special Notice

Power cuts 19–21 October 2026: CEB schedule and how to find your area's time

21 October 2026 3 min read

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Power cuts 19–21 October 2026: CEB schedule and how to find your area's time

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has scheduled evening power cuts from 19 to 21 October 2026. CEB says generation is insufficient because the Lakvijaya Power Station is unavailable after a blackout, so it is managing demand by cutting supply to one group of areas at a time.

Find your area and today's time on our interactive map: anybanq.lk/power-cuts. Search your town or tap your district to see your group, your cut window and what is off right now.

How the power cuts work

The country is split into four groups.
Each group loses power for about one hour in the evening, between 4:30 pm and 9:00 pm.
The order rotates every day, so your time changes from day to day.
CEB says interruption and restoration times can vary by up to 30 minutes, and the amount assigned to a group can change with demand, available generation and weather.

Schedule for Monday 19 October

Group 1: power off between 4:30 and 5:00 pm, back between 5:30 and 6:00 pm
Group 2: power off between 5:30 and 6:00 pm, back between 6:30 and 7:00 pm
Group 3: power off between 6:30 and 7:00 pm, back between 7:30 and 8:00 pm
Group 4: power off between 7:30 and 8:00 pm, back between 8:30 and 9:00 pm

Schedule for Tuesday 20 October

Group 4: power off between 4:30 and 5:00 pm, back between 5:30 and 6:00 pm
Group 1: power off between 5:30 and 6:00 pm, back between 6:30 and 7:00 pm
Group 2: power off between 6:30 and 7:00 pm, back between 7:30 and 8:00 pm
Group 3: power off between 7:30 and 8:00 pm, back between 8:30 and 9:00 pm

Schedule for Wednesday 21 October

Group 3:

power off between 4:30 and 5:00 pm, back between 5:30 and 6:00 pm

Group 4: power off between 5:30 and 6:00 pm, back between 6:30 and 7:00 pm

Group 1: power off between 6:30 and 7:00 pm, back between 7:30 and 8:00 pm

Group 2: power off between 7:30 and 8:00 pm, back between 8:30 and 9:00 pm

Which group am I in?

CEB assigns groups by grid substation (GSS) and feeder, not by town, so one substation can supply areas in different groups. At Kelaniya, for example, feeders 2 and 5 are in Group 2 while feeders 1, 3 and 4 are in Group 3.

Search your town or nearest substation on the power cut map. If every feeder at your substation is in one group, that is your group.
If your substation is split across groups and you don't know your feeder, CEB's call centre on 1987 can tell you which feeder and group your address is on.

Before your slot

Charge phones and power banks, and keep a torch handy.
Switch off sensitive appliances before the cut to protect them when power returns.
If you depend on medical equipment at home, plan a backup for the hour.

Source: Ceylon Electricity Board, Demand Management Schedule for 19, 20 and 21 October 2026. AnyBanq shares this schedule for convenience and is not affiliated with CEB. Always follow CEB's latest notices.