Why power transmission companies have been alerted on the appeal to keep power off for 9 minutes on April 5 at 9 pm
The public sector power transmission company Power Grid Corporation (PGCIL) is working on the stability of the grid in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to shut down the power for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 and they have assured that they will not face any problem. They have expressed confidence about the same, official sources gave this information on Saturday.
In his message to the nation on Friday, the Prime Minister appealed to turn off the power for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 and light a lamp along with a torch or mobile phone. It is believed that this has increased the concern of the power grid managers regarding the stability of the grid. According to sources, Power Minister RK Singh has discussed the issue with PGCIL and other concerned parties. PGCIL has expressed complete confidence in the stability of the grid.
After nine minutes the demand will rise
Concern has been raised in some sections that the demand for electricity is already low due to ‘lockdown’ in the country, in such a situation, can the grid deal with the sudden demand ‘shutdown’? Again, after nine minutes the demand will increase immediately, so is there no possibility of ‘blackout’ situation from such fluctuations? Sources in the Ministry of Power said that the grid withstands fluctuations even in times of disaster and remains stable, and this situation is already known. In such a situation, the power grid and other agencies are working on it and they are confident of keeping the grid stable.
Meanwhile, the Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO), responsible for the integrated operation of the grid, is working to ensure that there is no pressure on the grid due to the possible collapse of the grid and that there is no power outage across the country. The Central Electricity Regulatory Authority (CERA) allows a frequency band of 49.95–50.05 Hz for normal operation of the grid and the grid may come to a standstill due to any sudden decrease or increase in power transmission.
“The entire power sector is under pressure now,” the source said. Demand is already low due to lockdown. A sudden shutdown of electricity for a few minutes may cause some pressure, but we already know the time, we can plan it well in advance. According to the data released by the Ministry of Power, the demand for electricity fell by 25 percent to 1,25,810 MW on April 2, from 1,68,320 MW on April 2 last year.
