Grid versus Greed

(Essentially, if there’s excess power production, the grid frequency rises beyond tolerable limits, and the grid collapses. Conversely, when there’s too little demand, the frequency falls too much, and the grid collapses. That’s why you have the Powergrid, to constantly monitor the grid, and get generators and users to act in a co-ordinated fashion).

Similarly, to maintain grid discipline, each state electricity board has something called ‘underfrequency relays’ which cut them off from the main grid when the grid frequency dips and this happens when there’s too much consumption. Now when the Northern Grid collapsed, it was found that most SEBs had manually disconnected these relays. They disconnect them for a very simple reason. That’s the only way they can continue to draw excess power despite the grid’s frequency dipping by the way, this is where Power Minister Suresh Prabhu came up with the ‘grid versus greed’ phrase!

Clearly, when the Northern Grid collapse inquiry committee submits its report, it will blame various SEBs for not having under-frequency relays. But this is exactly what each investigation report has said on previous grid collapses. On August 8 last year, for instance, when the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) was conducting an inquiry into the collapse of the Eastern Grid on July 25, it found that all the SEBs had either not installed underfrequency relays, or these had been disconnected! The CERC also found that while the Farakka power station had said it would supply 1,260 MW of power on July 25, they could supply only 1,105 this lower supply resulted in lower grid frequencies and contributed to the collapse.

Ironically, one of the problems here is that while the Powergrid is in charge of grid discipline, it’s statutory authority is in doubt since it is a corporation so SEBs and various generators don’t take it as seriously as they did the Central Electricity Authority which was in charge of the grid earlier. The CERC had also come up with a grid code which would have taken care of this indiscipline, by imposing strict financial penalties for over-production or over-drawing, but this is still not implemented strictly.

Grid indiscipline, of course, is just one part of the sad saga of India’s power sector (and we’re not even talking of the rampant theft). Delhi, for instance, had cleared the Bawana Phase I project a decade ago, a power purchase agreement (PPA) was even signed with Reliance in 1994 for a 440 MW power project, but the project’s still hanging fire. As part of the Panipat refinery, Indian Oil has been negotiating its PPA with the government for the last two years, but nothing’s been finalised despite the region being power-starved. The list goes on of such projects remember Cogentrix in Karnataka?

The saga of poor planning, sadly, doesn’t stop here. As this paper reported, just 3 of the gas turbines of the Gas Turbine Power Station at Delhi could be started on Tuesday (this would have restored Delhi’s power earlier) as they got just 60 per cent of the gas they required so who’s responsible for this? And surely the UP government should be asked to explain what happened in Anpara. Apart from the plant not cutting generation when asked to last Tuesday, is the way it’s constructed. The 800 MW plant needs a 440 KV transmission line to evacuate its power but since it just has a 220 one, it’s normal for it to have a frequency problem, and trip.

Undoubtedly, when Central Electricity Authority chairman R.N. Srivastava submits his report on Black Tuesday (stretching upto Thursday for large parts of Uttar Pradesh), he’ll raise these very issues. So, who’ll ensure his concerns are taken seriously, and the SEBs, and various generating companies instal the governors, the capacitors, the relays, maintain grid discipline, and so on? Wait till the next blackout.