International
Monkey blamed for causing nationwide power outage in Sri Lanka
By Jack Aylmer (Energy Correspondent), Shianne DeLeon (Video Editor)
- A monkey triggered a nationwide power outage in Sri Lanka on Sunday, affecting millions as temperatures rose above 86°F. The animal is said to have come into contact with a grid transformer, causing a disruption in the power system.
- Many households remained without power for hours, as experts have long warned that Sri Lanka’s older energy infrastructure is vulnerable to such incidents.
- Sri Lanka is struggling with an overpopulation of three million toque macaque monkeys, leading the government to previously consider exporting 100,000 to China to manage their numbers.
Full Story
A nationwide power outage struck Sri Lanka over the weekend, with the country’s government attributing the incident to a monkey. The blackout began around midday on Sunday and affected millions as temperatures rose above 86°F.
Media Landscape
See how news outlets across the political spectrum are covering this story. Learn more
Left 42%
Center 25%
Right 33%
Bias Summary
- A monkey caused a nationwide blackout in Sri Lanka by breaking into a sub-station, resulting in an "imbalance" in the power system, according to the Energy Minister.
- The blackout occurred on Sunday at around 10:45 a.m. local time and lasted for several hours, impacting businesses and costing millions.
- The National Electricity Board eventually restored power after the outage, which led to significant economic losses.
- Authorities warned of frequent power cuts in the coming days due to a breakdown at the Norochcholai coal power plant, caused by the outage.
- Sri Lanka experienced a nationwide blackout on Sunday due to a monkey contacting an electrical grid in a Colombo suburb, as reported by AFP.
- The power outage began at approximately 11:30 a.m. after the monkey caused an imbalance in the system.
- Engineers are working to restore power, which was disrupted at a sub-station, according to the Ceylon Electricity Board.
- Hospitals and businesses across the island of 22 million people are relying on generators or inverters during the outage.
- A group of monkeys entered the Panadura Power Station, causing a nationwide blackout in Sri Lanka, according to Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody.
- An anonymous engineer stated, "The national power grid is in such a weakened state that frequent islandwide power outages may be expected if there is a disturbance even in one of our lines."
- The blackout on Feb. 9 led to decreased internet connectivity and water supply disruptions due to stopping electric pumps.
- The Ceylon Electricity Board issued an urgent notice, stating, "We are making every effort to restore the island-wide power failure as soon as possible."
Bias Comparison
Media outlets on the left
utilize the term “Monkey Incident” and emphasize the absurdity of the cause, possibly diverting attention from systemic failures.
Media outlets in the center
provide a straightforward report, focusing on the technical aspects of the outage without sensationalizing the cause.
Media outlets on the right
highlight concerns regarding infrastructure stability, indicating broader issues beyond the monkey incident.
Report an issue with this comparison
Bias Distribution
Far
Left
Left
+0
Click to close
Left
+0
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Far
Right
Right
+0
Click to close
Untracked Bias
Click to close
116 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
116
Leaning Left
15
Center
9
Leaning Right
12
Last Updated
1 day ago
Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™
How did a monkey cause a power outage in Sri Lanka?
According to Sri Lanka’s Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody, the incident occurred when “a monkey came into contact with a grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the power system.”
Engineers worked to restore electricity, prioritizing essential services such as hospitals and water purification facilities.
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While some areas regained power within hours, many households remained without electricity into the night.
What led up to this incident?
Experts have long warned that Sri Lanka’s aging energy infrastructure is vulnerable to disruptions like this.
The country also faces an overpopulation of monkeys, with an estimated three million toque macaques. These primates have been known to cause property damage and raid crops, leading the government in 2023 to consider exporting 100,000 of them to China.
What happens next?
The Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka’s largest electricity company, apologized for the outage. No information has been provided about the condition of the monkey.
[JACK AYLMER]
THE POWER WENT OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN SRI LANKA —
AND THE GOVERNMENT BELIEVES A MONKEY IS TO BLAME — NEWS THAT IS NOT A SHOCK TO A POPULATION COPING WITH AN OVERABUNDANCE OF PRIMATES.
THE BLACKOUT BEGAN AROUND MIDDAY SUNDAY-
IMPACTING MILLIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS TEMPERATURES CLIMBED ABOVE 86 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
ACCORDING TO SRI LANKA’S ENERGY MINISTER, THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN A MONKEY CAME INTO CONTACT WITH A GRID TRANSFORMER-
CAUSING AN IMBALANCE IN THE POWER SYSTEM.
ENGINEERS WORKED TO RESTORE ELECTRICITY ACROSS THE ISLAND NATION-
PRIORITIZING ESSENTIAL SERVICES SUCH AS HOSPITALS AND WATER PURIFICATION FACILITIES.
WHILE SOME AREAS REGAINED POWER WITHIN HOURS, MANY HOUSEHOLDS REMAINED WITHOUT ELECTRICITY INTO THE NIGHT.
EXPERTS HAVE LONG WARNED SIR LANKA’S OUTDATED ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE IS VULNERABLE TO DISRUPTIONS LIKE THIS.
THE COUNTRY HAS ALSO BEEN DEALING WITH AN OVERPOPULATION OF MONKEYS-
WITH THREE MILLION OF THE TOQUE MACAQUE SPECIES LIVING ON THE ISLAND.
THESE MONKEYS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE PROPERTY DAMAGE, RAIDING CROPS AND VILLAGES-
A TREND WHICH IN 2023 LED THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT TO DISCUSS BRINGING THEIR NUMBER DOWN BY EXPORTING 100,000 OF THE ANIMALS TO CHINA.
MEANWHILE, THE LARGEST ELECTRICITY COMPANY IN SRI LANKA HAS ISSUED AN APOLOGY OVER THE RECENT POWER OUTAGE CAUSED BY A MONKEY.
NO INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED YET ABOUT THE ANIMAL’S CONDITION.
FOR MORE ENERGY STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP AND SIGN UP FOR ALERTS FROM ME- JACK AYLMER.
Media Landscape
See how news outlets across the political spectrum are covering this story. Learn more
Left 42%
Center 25%
Right 33%
Bias Summary
- A monkey caused a nationwide blackout in Sri Lanka by breaking into a sub-station, resulting in an "imbalance" in the power system, according to the Energy Minister.
- The blackout occurred on Sunday at around 10:45 a.m. local time and lasted for several hours, impacting businesses and costing millions.
- The National Electricity Board eventually restored power after the outage, which led to significant economic losses.
- Authorities warned of frequent power cuts in the coming days due to a breakdown at the Norochcholai coal power plant, caused by the outage.
- Sri Lanka experienced a nationwide blackout on Sunday due to a monkey contacting an electrical grid in a Colombo suburb, as reported by AFP.
- The power outage began at approximately 11:30 a.m. after the monkey caused an imbalance in the system.
- Engineers are working to restore power, which was disrupted at a sub-station, according to the Ceylon Electricity Board.
- Hospitals and businesses across the island of 22 million people are relying on generators or inverters during the outage.
- A group of monkeys entered the Panadura Power Station, causing a nationwide blackout in Sri Lanka, according to Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody.
- An anonymous engineer stated, "The national power grid is in such a weakened state that frequent islandwide power outages may be expected if there is a disturbance even in one of our lines."
- The blackout on Feb. 9 led to decreased internet connectivity and water supply disruptions due to stopping electric pumps.
- The Ceylon Electricity Board issued an urgent notice, stating, "We are making every effort to restore the island-wide power failure as soon as possible."
Bias Comparison
Media outlets on the left
utilize the term “Monkey Incident” and emphasize the absurdity of the cause, possibly diverting attention from systemic failures.
Media outlets in the center
provide a straightforward report, focusing on the technical aspects of the outage without sensationalizing the cause.
Media outlets on the right
highlight concerns regarding infrastructure stability, indicating broader issues beyond the monkey incident.
Report an issue with this comparison
Bias Distribution
Far
Left
Left
+0
Click to close
Left
+0
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Far
Right
Right
+0
Click to close
Untracked Bias
Click to close
116 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
116
Leaning Left
15
Center
9
Leaning Right
12
Last Updated
1 day ago
Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™
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