In a bid to avoid the July 2012 horror when Delhi was pushed into a major power blackout due to the Northern Grid failure, the Northern Regional load Dispatch Centre (NRlDC) has alerted all the power utilities operating in the Northern region to be ready with backup plans, as nearly 12 power generating units have been shut for non-availability of coal.
The Capital may be observing grid discipline but residents will continue to pay for lapses by neighbouring States. On Wednesday, the NRlDC wrote a letter to power utilities in Delhi asking them to ‘maintain high-availability of all generating units and to keep an alert on the overall power situation. “Some of the State-controlled areas, especially UP, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir are heavily overdrawing from the grid. And some of the units at inter-State generating stations and State generating stations are already non-operational due to coal issues…” the letter stated. Power units in Singrauli/Rihand complex in Uttar Pradesh, Dadri in UP, Badarpur in Delhi, Talwandi Sabo in Punjab and so on have been shut due non-availability of coal. On Wednesday, four more stations (one in Rajasthan and three in Gujarat) were shut for the same cause implying a major power shortage in case the
overdrawal continues.
Reacting to the letter Praveer Sinha, CEO, Tata Power Delhi Distribution limited (TPDDl) said, “In spite of many power plants not being able to generate power due to shortage of coal or annual maintenance shutdown, TPDDl has made adequate arrangements for power and no load shedding or power cut is being done in its area of North and North west Delhi and full peak load of around 1,600 MW is being met. We are keeping a close watch on the situation and are fully prepared to meet any eventuality.”
The NRlDC further instructed the power utilities to maintain an all-round alert for safe and secure operation of the grid. “Supply even from costlier stations can be requisitioned…. Efforts shall be made to replenish fuel supplies at all generating units… Proper load management be carried out and power exchange with the grid shall be kept as per schedule,” read the letter.
Delhi is the only State in the Northern region to have an automatic demand management scheme that maintains grid frequency bandwidth within a given range. Despite several reminders by NRlDC, the other Northern region (NR) constituents — Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, J&K, HP, UP and Uttarakhand — don’t have this scheme in place.