States use all means to defy the grid code for drawing power ? they openly flout the code, default on payment of unscheduled interchange (UI) charges meant to check overdrawing when the grid frequency is low and even resort to litigation. However, the recent synchronised failure of three of the country?s power grids that left half the country without power for hours might come as an eye-opener, analysts reckon.
Tamil Nadu, for instance, has obtained a stay from the Madras High Court on enforcement of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission?s revised (tightened) grid code on the state. With the recent outages, the state might be forced to review its stand, source say. In April this year, the CERC narrowed the permissible frequency band from 49.5-50.2 Hz to 49.7-50.2 Hz to ensure grid safety. Penal provisions against excess drawing of power now kick in at 49.7 Hz rather than 49.5 Hz. In other words, the regulator has limited the scope for overdrawing power by distribution companies.
Currently, the revised grid code is applicable to all states and Union Territories except Tamil Nadu. The state, which habitually overdraws power from the southern grid to bridge its power shortage, submitted before the court that compliance with the revised grid code would put financial strain on its discoms. The losses of the state?s discoms are estimated at R40,000 crore, one of the highest in the country.
The failure of the grids has brought public attention back on the risks of reckless overdrawing by discoms, which are not able to buy expensive power from the open market. The incident has also forced policymakers to reinforce their support for a tighter grid code as there are risks of large-scale public disorder in the event of disruption of essential services like the railways and metro systems. ?The grid code needs to be tightened further,? a senior government official told FE, requesting anonymity as the matter is sub judice.
Significantly, the southern grid is not connected to other regional grids as of now. Power is supplied from the northern region to the southern region through a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line.
But work is on to connect the southern grid with the northern grid to create a national grid. The work is expected to be completed by March 2014.
Maintaining grid disciple would become even more critical when the national grid is in place as grid failure in one region could trigger a collapse of other regional grids, leading to a blackout across the entire country ? a scary scenario that no government would like to see.
The states, however, are continuing with their blame game over the recent grid collapse. Rejecting the Centre’s claim that Uttar Pradesh was to the culprit for the power crisis, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who also holds the state’s power portfolio, said that it was not right to blame the state for the grid failure. “The matter is still to be investigated and it is therefore not right to blame Uttar Pradesh for the grid failure,” Yadav said.