Don't switch off all appliances on Sunday, says TNEB

Sivakumar B | TNN | Updated: Apr 5, 2020, 06:28 IST

Senior officials of the two arms of TNEB have been told to be at the headquarters at 9pm on Sunday

CHENNAI: TNEB's two arms, Tangedco and Tantransco, are gearing up to thwart any disruption to power infrastructure as the state is headed for switching off lights for nine minutes on Sunday night to light dhias as per the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
The discom has to ensure balancing of the grid as there could be sudden increase in voltage when lights are switched off and sudden drop in voltage when all lights are switched on again after the nine-minute gap. As many countries went into national lockdown, the International Energy Agency, on March 23, had forewarned about grid failure and blackouts on account of drop in power demand. Many countries have reported more than 15% drop in power demand on account of Covid-19 outbreak. If conventional thinking is that power outages happen only when demand overwhelms supply, some of the most high-profile blackouts in recent times took place during periods of low demand, IEA executive director Fatih Birol had cautioned.
Tangedco has made it clear that the discom would not resort to power cuts during the nine-minute period. It is up to the people to participate in the initiative proposed by the PM, said a senior TNEB official.
"As of now, bulk of the consumption is in the domestic sector. The peak demand is less than 11,000MW. Even before the lockdown, peak demand used to drop on Sundays. We expect drop in demand by 3,000MW when people switch off lights for nine minutes," a senior Tantransco official told TOI.
Senior officials of Tangedco and Tantransco, after a series of deliberations, have decided to keep thermal and hydro units on stand-by mode once demand drops. They would be restarted after the nine-minute break, said an official. Experts in TNEB have urged people to keep fans, refrigerators, ACs and other electrical equipment switched on during the nine-minute period to avoid any major voltage fluctuation. "If the grid collapses, power supply to all hospitals treating critical patients would stop. We will have a tough time managing this. People's cooperation is vital," said a chief engineer.
Drawing a comparison with the Earth Hour, the official said, "During Earth Hour, lights were switched off, but industries and commercial establishments, which account of a sizeable share of power consumption, were running. That saved the grid," said the official.
Meanwhile, senior officials of the two arms of TNEB have been told to be at the headquarters at 9pm on Sunday to ensure grid balance and carryout instructions from the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC).