When you switch off lights tonight, here's what Power Min wants you to do

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday appealed to the public to switch off lights for 9 minutes at 9 pm on Sunday, and instead light candles, torches or mobile flashlights at their doors, on their balconies to show solidarity during the lockdown.

After concerns were raised by some that the blackout might lead to a failure of the power grid, grid operators brainstormed through Saturday on how to handle the nine-minute blackout. The power ministry is confident that the national power grid is prepared to handle fluctuations ranging from 12-15 gigawatt (GW). Measures are in place to ensure nothing goes wrong, according to the ministry.
 

Anticipating a significant fluctuation in power demand for a short duration, the power ministry along with the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) and Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) have been busy drafting a plan for managing the grid and efficient supply.
 

Power ministry’s advice to public

Switch off only the lights at your house- The ministry argued that the PM had not asked people to switch off all electric appliances.
 

Do not switch off other household equipment such as fridge, TV, fans, etc- “There is no call to switch off appliances like computers, TVs, fans, refrigerators and ACs in the homes. Only lights should be switched off,” a statement issued by S N Sahai, secretary, ministry of power, said.
 

Streetlights and electricity supply to hospitals, police stations and other essential services will not be shut- The lights in hospitals and all other essential services like public utilities, municipal services, offices and police stations would remain on, according to the statement. The Centre has also asked all local bodies to keep the street lights on for public safety.
 

All states, regions, generators and grid operators to be on alert- POSOCO issued an advisory to all states, power generating companies, transmission companies, regional and state-level load despatch centres to manage the event. POSOCO is expecting a reduction in load of the order of 12-13 GW within two to four minutes and recovery of the same nine minutes later within two to four minutes.
 

Power stations have been asked to be on alert to provide supply instantly. Thermal stations would be ramped up post 9 pm once the demand starts going up.
 

Hydro and gas units are used for meeting emergency needs. These units have a flexible capacity of nearly 18 GW which would be used for ramping up and down the supply on Sunday, POSOCO said in its advisory.
 

India has 40 million urban households and 170 million rural homes. With industrial activity shut, the country’s current peak power demand stands at 120-150 GW, which is 30-40 per cent lower than normal peak demand.
 

The total domestic lighting demand at an all-India level is estimated at 12-13 GW, which is 10 per cent of the country’s total power demand. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are expected to have the highest load fluctuation on Sunday.