Blackout as power plant units trip
Megha Mann
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 6
Intense fog led to tripping of two units each of the Bathinda and Lehra Mohabbat thermal power plant today early in the morning. Power supply to Moga, Muktsar, Mansa, Bathinda and nearby areas was disrupted due to the blackout.

220 KV lines between Bathinda-Lehra Mohabbat, Moga-Bajakhana and Bathinda-Muktsar tripped at around 2:45 am. Technical experts in the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (Transco) said that 220 KV lines around Bathinda tripped two units at the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) Bathinda and two 210 MW units at the Guru Hargobind Thermal Power Plant (GHTP) at Lehra Mohabbat.

In the last 20 days, this was the second case of tripping due to the fog. Earlier, power supply had tripped on December 16. Experts said that insulating discs installed on electricity poles get soiled up. Later, in winter, due to the fog, these conductors absorb moisture leading to current getting earthed instead of passing through it. “When the current starts getting earthed, it automatically leads to the tripping of the thermal power plants,” he said.

Sources in the Transco said that it does not have enough funds to buy sophisticated equipment that cleanses live wires. "The National Grid Power Corporation has these machines, which are used to clean conductors on heavy duty 800 KV lines. Time and again, Transco has felt the

need to buy these machines but could not due to the extreme fund crunch leading to poor maintenance," added an XEN level officer.

In the absence of equipment, Transco depends on rains to wash away the dirt. With no rains this season, the problem has increased. As it started drizzling in the morning today, power to the area was resumed.

Also, all the 132 KV lines tripped. Units at Lehra Mohabatt were revived in the early hours (unit I at 4:15 am and unit II at 5 am) but could not be run on full load as evacuation of power in the absence of the transmission system was not possible, sources said. By 4 pm, three lines were yet to be restored. Meanwhile, superintending engineer, Transco, Bathinda, Ajmer Singh said the power was restored in Bathinda by afternoon, while power supply in other pockets was being restored gradually.

Many parts of the Malwa region were still without power till late in the evening even as supply was restored in Bathinda, it was learnt.