After dark night, Chaos rises
Punjab’s power pain worsens
Umesh Dewan/TNS

Patiala, July 30
With the Northern Grid tripping at 2.33 am, Punjab was left power-less for at least eight hours. The power failure affected rail and health services besides water supply. The frequency at which the grid collapsed was 50.48 hz, as recorded by the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC).

The grid had also tripped On January 2, 2010, leading to a blackout in the northern states. However, it was not a serious breakdown.

The PSPCL Director (Distribution), Arun Verma, said the power corporation wasted no time in taking the necessary measures. “Following the grid failure, all thermal plants in the state stopped functioning. To revive the plants, we had to seek the help of the BBMB”, he said.

Verma said they got power from the BBMB at about 9 am and soonafter, power for essential services was restored.

“Electricity was first provided for trains, then to hospitals, water supply systems and the domestic sector,” he said. Power was partially restored in Patiala at 10.20 am, at Jalandhar 10.55 am, Amritsar at 11.55 am, Bathinda 12 noon, Ludhiana 12.42 pm and Fatehgarh Sahib 2 pm. Punjab’s power generation capacity is about 3,600 MW-3700 MW. The state’s total transfer capacity (TTC) from the Northern Grid is 5,400 MW. This means that Punjab can procure power from the grid up to 5,400 MW. However, because of the severe power crisis, Punjab had jumped this limit and was reprimanded by the NRLDC.

Warning unheeded

The grid frequency has been fluctuating between 49.1 hz to 50.1 hz for almost two months now. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) had issued issued instructions to the northern states, particularly Punjab and Haryana, to strictly comply with the provisions of the grid code and cut down overdrawal at low frequency as this could endanger grid security. Obviously, these instructions went unheeded.