The two-member panel asked by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to probe the twin national grid collapses on
July 30 and 31 has said prevention of such occurences requires strict adherence to grid discipline. A CERC official told Business Standard the report was given last Thursday.
It has blamed underdrawal by the western region states and overdrawal by the northern and eastern states for the collapses, affecting power supply for hours in 21 states.
CERC had asked the chief executive officer of Power System Operation Corporation and the chairman of Power Grid Corporation of India to investigate why the collapses had occurred. It had done on its own accord, under
Section 79 (1) (c) of the Electricity Act, 2003, empowering it to regulate inter-state transmission.
Sources in the know said the panel had made a strong pitch for strict adherence to Section 5 of the Indian Electrical Grid Code, under which states are bound to follow grid discipline for its smooth functioning. Among other instructions, it says, “All Users, state electricity boards, state load despatch centres, regional load despatch centres and national load despatch centres shall take all possible measures to ensure that the grid frequency always remains within the 49.5–50.2 Hz band."
Sources said the underdrawing and overdrawing states were equally responsible for the grid failure. “There was underdrawal of 2,000 Mw by the western region states, while the northern and eastern region states were engaged in rampant overdrawal in their bid to meet rising demand due to scanty rainfall,” sources said. The panel is understood to have raised the need for higher penalties against defaulting states.
A Power Grid Corporation official declined to comment on the report, noting another panel, appointed by the Union power ministry, was doing a probe into the same affair.
