The Hindu : DPSC underdrawal may cause grid collapse

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 24, 2002

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Other States - New Delhi

DPSC underdrawal may cause grid collapse

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI AUG. 23. The Delhi Power Supply Company (DPSC) by all indications is not only coming in the way of power sector reforms in the Capital but is also bent upon causing complete collapse of the entire Northern Grid by resorting to grid indiscipline.

Even though the situation on the power front is very comfortable at the grid level for over a fortnight now due to rain in various parts of North India, the DPSC has been regularly endangering the system, almost on a daily basis, by resorting to underdrawal of electricity without informing the Power Grid.

``This is very dangerous for the grid and can result in its collapse. Though the system has been saved so far as other States -- requiring more power for irrigation purpose -- are overdrawing electricity and we are also exporting it to power-deficit western region. But this bad habit of constant grid indiscipline in itself of overdrawal and underdrawal can be very fatal any time,'' said a senior official from the Power Grid Corporation of India.

While overdrawal means extracting more electricity from the Northern Grid than its share, underdrawal means not taking up its share from the system. In the case of overdrawal, the frequency comes down and in case of underdrawal it goes up. For keeping the grid safe, frequency should be 50 hz, but can hover between 48.5 and 50.5, otherwise the system would collapse. Due to the regular underdrawal of power from the grid by the DPSC which at times is more than 750 MW, bring the frequency towards the danger limit on the higher side.

As per the available statistics, on August 13 during morning peak hours, the DPSC drew 963 MW against its entitlement of 1,730 MW, thus causing an underdrawal of 768 MW. "Underdrawal of power between 400 and 500 MW has become a routine for DPSC,'' officials said. On August 18, DPSC was indulging in an underdrawal of over 500 MW, on August 19 it was again more than 400 MW: to site a few examples.

Power Grid officials said time and again they have been asking DPSC (earlier Delhi Vidyut Board) to give them information in advance about the underdrawal of power so that preventive and other measures could be taken. "As of now, we are on our toes on a fire fighting mission due to the sheer indiscipline by DPSC. At times, to save the entire system from collapse, we even have to ask some of the generating units to be shut down. This results in grave economic loss,'' officials said.

In fact, the DPSC officials have time and again refused to listen to the advice from the grid. "They work at will. They are completely unprofessional and do not understand the significance of power management. They extract at will more power from system when they require it and will not take their share from the grid when they do not need it. All this is done without taking us into confidence,'' officials said. "So even if the situation is very healthy at the grid level, the DPSC's behaviour can be responsible for its collapse any time,'' they pointed out.

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