The very first city to be lit with electricity was Bristol in England and it took place on 26th June 1881. In 1882, Ceylon, which was a colony of Britain, was able to witness electricity from the ship SS Helios which sailed into Colombo harbor. In 1890, the first electric bulb was lit with electricity in Ceylon, at the Billiard room in Bristol Hotel, Colombo Fort with the power generated by a diesel generator. There is proof that electricity was later on used around the island in plantation estates owned and maintained by the British. In 1895, M/S Boustead Bros. made Sri Lanka's first public electricity supply available in Colombo. Colombo Electric Tram Ways and Lighting Company and Kandy Lighting Company met electrical needs in their own spheres in the first decade of 20th century. In 1918, Engineer D. J. Wimalasurendra, who late became the pioneer of electricity in Sri Lanka identified the hydro-power potential in the central hills of Sri Lanka through research. 1926 a separate department for electricity was established under the Deputy Director of Public Works Department and in order to meet the expanding demand, the government decided to set up a Thermal Power Station in 1928 and it was named after Sir Herbert Stanley. In 1935, a two tier tariff system was introduced and in the same year, Electricity Board of Ceylon was established under the Electricity Board Ordinance No. 35 of 1935. But the board that commenced functioning from March 01st 1936 was dissolved in May 1937, and all its responsibilities, functions, commitments were transferred to Department of Government Electrical Undertakings. In 1950, Laxapana Power Station was commissioned and this was followed by a myriad of electricity projects. On 01st November 1969, Ceylon Electricity Board was established under Parliament Act No. 17 of 1969.
Devapura Jayasena Wimalasurendra (17 September 1874 - 10 August 1953) was a Sri Lankan engineer and statesman. He played a prominent role in the establishment of hydropower in Sri Lanka and is known as the "Father of Hydropower" and was a member of the State Council of Ceylon.Devapura Jayasena Wimalasurendra (17 September 1874 - 10 August 1953) was a Sri Lankan engineer and statesman. He played a prominent role in the establishment of hydropower in Sri Lanka and is known as the "Father of Hydropower" and was a member of the State Council of Ceylon.
Born in 1874 in Galle, as the eldest son of master craftsman Mudaliyar Don Juan Wimalasurendra, He received his education at Ananda College, Colombo and joined the Ceylon Technical College in 1893, while working as an apprentice at the Government Factory. He graduated in Civil Engineering from the Ceylon Technical College and gain Associate Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers (AMICE). In 1912, Wimalasurendra attended Faraday House in Stevenage, England specializing in electrical engineering and gaining the Faraday House Diploma in seven months, also gaining Associate Membership of the Institution of Electrical Engineers in Britain.
In 1896 he joined the Public Works Department as a field overseer, and was promoted to an Inspector within four years. Having become a Junior Assistant Engineer by 1900, he worked on building the concentration camp in Diyatalawa for Boer prisoners captured in the Second Boer War; in 1901 he conducted a survey on mineral deposits in the Kelani Valley. Having had his initial proposals on hydro power ignored by the Engineering Association of Ceylon he constructed the first small hydro power station in Ceylon, at Blackpool, between Nanu Oya and Nuwara Eliya, to supply electricity to the town of Nuwara Eliya. In 1918 he submitted a paper to the Engineering Association of Ceylon titled "Economics of Hydro Power Utilization in Ceylon"; in it he proposed the possibility of hydro power from Maskelioya and Kehelgamuoya, capable of lighting 100,000 lamps (114.5 MW). He also introduced the concept of developing a national grid. Only in 1923 did the colonial government undertake the development of hydro power in Ceylon, but Wimalasurendra was left out of the project and left the country on leave to England. He returned only on the request of the Colonial Secretary. In 1926 he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD). Soon after he began the separation of the electrical section of the PWD. To this end under his direction the government took over the Colombo Electric Scheme (established in 1918) to supply power to the Colombo city and the tramways run by Bousteads Brothers Ltd. He became the Deputy Director of the newly formed Department of Government Electrical Undertakings (DGEU) in 1927, and established the first thermal power station in 1929, Stanley Power House. Having his projects undermined, he retired early from public service in 1929