States turn to idle plants to avoid a grid collapse

03 May 2022

States have now turned to idle thermal plants in search of additional electricity after the national grid operator warned them against overdrawing power and risking a grid collapse. Several states have asked such plants to resume operations and are willing to pay a higher price for power generated from costlier gas and coal. Sources in the Union power ministry said the power crisis in western states is not due to coal shortage but on account of lack of foresight as arrangement were not made even as power demand soared and imported coal plants stopped operations amid high fuel cost. Power System Operation Corp (Posoco), the grid operator, wrote to states earlier this month, warning load dispatch centres in the western region against drawing excess power.
"Maharashtra has resorted to high overdrawing from the grid against stipulated schedule," Posoco said in one such letter. "Such large overdrawing by Maharashtra contributed in grid frequency excursions below the IEGC (Indian Electricity Grid Code) band."
Sources said Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Dadra & Nagar Haveli are resorting to overdrawing, putting the national grid in trouble. The Western Region Load Dispatch Centre (WRLDC) even filed a petition in the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) against overdrawing of power.