Overdrawing Not Behind India\'s Blackout, State Official Says

By PAMPOSH RAINA

Finger-pointing has begun in earnest over India's recent massive power outages.

Although some government power authorities, electric company executives, the departing power minister and much of India's news media blamed the grid failures Monday and Tuesday on various states they said had taken in more than their expected power allotment, thus causing the grid to fail, others called that a mistaken oversimplification.

“This hype that states are overdrawing is the reason for the collapse is not right,” said Ajit Sharan, the power secretary for Haryana state. It is too early to say what, exactly, happened, he said.

Mr. Sharan and others point towards the system run by the central government agency, the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Center, that issues warnings to states if they are drawing excessive power.

Mr. Sharan said that 50 hertz of power is the ideal frequency for the grid. If the supply dips to 49.7 hertz, a warning is issued by NRLDC to any state that is overdrawing, he said. If the power falls below the 49.7 hertz mark, a second warning is issued.

But that was not the case when the grid failed, he said. “At the time when the grid collapsed, the frequency was 50.2 hertz,” he said, which is normal.

Haryana is one of the states that has reportedly been drawing excess power from the northern grid, which some say led to the grid's collapse.

“There is nothing wrong with overdrawing of power,” Mr. Sharan said. “There is a quota for every state. While some states overdraw, the others underdraw. If no state overdraws, then where will the excessive power go?”

Mr. Sharan said that the transmission link between Agra in Uttar Pradesh state and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh state had shut down, probably because power had been overdrawn. This link connects the western grid and the northern grid.

When that happene d, the central power control agency “did not send a timely message,” he said. As soon as the grid there developed a problem, he said, “it should have been isolated, but that did not happen.” How the situation developed from there is not known, he added.

Naresh Kumar, the chief public relations manager for the National Regional Load Dispatch Center, declined to comment on the Agra-Gwalior shutdown. A committee formed by the Power Ministry is looking into the matter, he said.