Power sector works towards maintaining grid stability after PM’s 5th April blackout call

Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed for a 9-minute blackout on 5th April 2020 at 9 PM, which has put officials in the power ministry in a fix on how to quickly devise a strategy in order to prevent a possible grid collapse and resultant blackout throughout the country. The grid stability in the country is maintained by keeping power frequency within a range specified by the Central Electricity Regulatory Authority (CERC). Any deviation from the identified frequency is managed by increasing or decreasing power flow in the grid. Sudden drop or increase in frequency causes a collapse.

The Prime Minister’ call for a blackout urging citizens to light a lamp, candle or shine a mobile flashlight to dispel the darkness spread by the coronavirus is expected to result in a sudden drop in power demand across the country and even disturb grid frequency, creating a possible grid collapse. Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO), a wholly owned Government of India Enterprise entrusted with the task of ensuring the integrated operation of the grid in a reliable, efficient, and secure manner, has also been sounded off to plan scheduling of power with all the five Regional Load Despatch Centres and National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC), so that grid frequency is maintained even if demand drops suddenly during the blackout.

Sources said that state governments have also been told to be ready to manage the power scheduling if need arises and keep some of their generating units in ready mode to switch off few units of grid frequency if it drops suddenly. Central utilities like NTPC may also be kept in a state of readiness to switch off some of their gas-based stations that are easy to switch on and off as per grid requirements.
As per power ministry data, on 2nd April 2020, the maximum power demand met in the country stood at 1,25,817 ME, almost 20 percent lower than the 2nd April 2019 figure of 1,68,326 MW. India’s grid is connected as a wide area synchronous grid nominally running at 50 Hz. The permissible range of the frequency band is 49.95-50.05 Hz, as per CERC. The Union Government regulates grid frequency through national and regional load dispatch centres. States regulate intra-grids through State Load Despatch Center (SLDC).

Two severe power blackouts affected most of northern and eastern India on 30th and 31st July 2012. The 30th July 2012 blackout affected over 400 million people while the 31st July blackout affected 620 million people mainly in Northern India. In 2012, an estimated 27 percent of energy generated was lost in transmission resulting in grid collapse.