Opinion The grid: Still living dangerously
POSOCO will continue to be headed by an ED-level officer and function as a Power Grid subsidiary.
Well over a year-and-a-half after the debilitating grid collapse in July 2012, the most concrete measure that was prescribed subsequently to bolster grid security and prevent a repeat of the crisis has failed to see the light of the day.
The power ministry’s proposal to hive off the Power System Operation Corporation Ltd (POSOCO) — the operator entrusted with managing one of the world’s largest integrated grids — into an independent company is unlikely to materialise in the tenure of the current government. Till that happens, POSOCO would continue to be headed by an executive director-level officer and function, ironically, as a subsidiary of the largest player in the country’s transmission sector — Power Grid Corp.
The proposal for hiving off POSOCO was to be put up for Cabinet approval for which an EFC (expenditure finance committee) memo had to be circulated to all ministries, since the move required apportioning of funds by the finance ministry. The process of circulating the memo has been mired in delays amid a number of objections cropping up, allegedly on the behest of stakeholders opposed to POSOCO being vested with full autonomy. With elections now being called, the responsibility for implementing this crucial measure would now fall upon the new government.
In the wake of two consecutive grid failures on July 30-31, 2012, the power ministry had conducted a study to investigate the reasons and the mitigation measures. Granting full autonomy to POSOCO, which was the most important suggestion, envisaged the creation of a new ‘Schedule A’ company so that the grid operator can insulated from any pressure from stakeholders, including its parent — PGCIL. In the era of multiple transmission licensees, it was seen that in the fitness of things, POSOCO should be able to function as a neutral party and independently deal with the problems in the day-to-day operation of the grid, including unwanted tripping due to improper commissioning of equipment, improper maintenance of PGCIL’s communication network and the lack of preventive maintenance.
A case in point is the crucial 765 kV Raichur-Solapur line that was declared commissioned by PGCIL on December 31, 2013. Touted as a key link that hooked up the southern region with the grid of the rest of the country, the line tripped about five times in the first month of operations. Even as this resulted in the accidental separation of the southern grid from that for the rest of the country a couple of times, POSOCO stayed away from as much as making a comment on the events that nearly precipitated a crisis.
As an independent operator, POSOCO needs to have the freedom to check the deficiencies of the transmission network owner and therefore, the anomaly of the grid operator functioning as an arm of the biggest player in the country’s transmission sector needs to be set right expeditiously.
Anil is a senior editor based in New Delhi.
anil.s@expressindia.com
Share
