PM's 9-min 'switch off-switch on' plan: Officials on alert to manage power load

The Prime Minister asked Indians to switch off the lights in their home for nine minutes on April 5 and light diyas or their cell phone lights in the balcony.
PM's 9-min 'switch off-switch on' plan: Officials on alert to manage power load
PM's 9-min 'switch off-switch on' plan: Officials on alert to manage power load
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The Prime Minister’s call for a nine-minute blackout at 9 pm on April 5 sent the electricity management authorities into a huddle, as they tried to figure out how they would manage the sudden dip and then peak in power demand when people switch off and switch on lights. However, officials have said that they are prepared to deal with the challenges.

The PM has asked people to switch off the lights for nine minutes and light lamps or put on their cell phone lights in the balconies or at the doors of their homes on April 5 to express solidarity during the lockdown.

An official with Power System Operator Corporation (POSOCO), which operates the national power grid, told Economic Times that during the nine minutes that people will switch off their lights, the electricity demand is expected to fall by 15 GigaWatts (GW). So, to make the power grid stable, POSOCO’s plan is to reduce electricity generation about an hour before 9 pm and then to increase it later. This is a strategy that is usually followed during the Earth Hour as well, when people switch off lights for an hour.

The baseload power demand in India is approximately 160 GW, reports Livemint. Since we do not have enough electricity storage systems in place, it is important for the power supply to match with the demand in order to keep the power grid stable within a certain frequency. This is why the sudden dip in power and then surge, after the nine minutes of blackout are over, creates a challenge. Mismanagement could lead to high voltage surge, tripped lines, and damage to the national grid, and a subsequent power outage for a longer period of time.     

According to news agency PTI, the power sector has been struggling since the lockdown because the demand for power has also fallen due to the lockdown. The power demand on April 2, 2020 was reportedly 25% lower at 125.81 GW compared to 168.32 GW on the same day a year ago. However, since the announcement of the April 5 blackout was made in advance, power ministry officials say that they will be prepared. POSOCO reportedly has five regional load despatch centres and the national load despatch centre to take appropriate measures.

Further, experts say that the situation on Sunday should be manageable because while many people will switch off the lights at home, other appliances will be running, and other establishments as well as street lights will keep running and drawing power.  

Several states have also taken measures and will have officials on standby. Uttar Pradesh authorities in a communication have asked for all reactors of the UP Power Grid to be operational at the time, for all capacitor banks to be kept out of service, and so on.

The Tamil Nadu Transmission Company has also asked for all executive engineers to be available with sufficient staff members from 8 pm to 10.30 pm on Sunday to manage the situation, and issued instructions to manage the power grid to keep it stable.

Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut has cautioned the public about the challenges. He appealed to them to light lamps without turning off all the lights. "If all lights are switched off at once, it might lead to failure of the grid. All our emergency services will fail and it might take a week's time to restore power," he told ANI.

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