2012 India blackouts
 Indian states (dark red) affected by the power outages on 30 and 31 July, (mid red) affected on 31 July 2012 | |
| Date | 02:48, 30 July 2012 (+05:30)- 20:30, 31 July 2012 (+05:30) |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern India |
The July 2012 India blackout is a power outage that occurred on 30 July 2012 in northern India, affecting 14 states,[1] followed by another power outage on 31 July affecting 20 states. It was the largest blackout in history, affecting over 600 million people,[2][3][4] about half of India's population. As of the evening of 31 July 2012, electrical power had been restored to most of northern India, including the country's capital city of New Delhi, and to about half of eastern India.[5]
Background
In the weeks leading up to the failure, extreme heat had caused power use to reach record levels in New Delhi. Due to the late arrival of monsoons, agricultural areas in Punjab and Haryana drew increased power from the grid for running irrigation pumps to paddy fields.[6] The late monsoon also meant that hydroelectric plants were generating less than their usual production.[7]
Sequence of events
30 July
At 02:35 IST (21:05 UTC on 29 July), a line feeding into the Agra-Bareilly transmission section, the 400 kV Bina-Gwalior line, tripped, triggering the collapse. All major electrical plants were shut down in the affected states, causing an estimated shortage of 32 GW.[8] Officials described the failure as "the worst in a decade".[9]
On the day of the collapse, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde stated that the exact cause of the failure was unknown, but that at the time of the failure, electricity use was "above normal". He speculated that some states had attempted to draw more power than permitted due to the higher consumption. Spokesperson for Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC) stated that Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana were the states responsible for the overdraw. PGCIL's chairman also stated that electrical service was restored "at a record time".[8]
A senior director for an Indian power company described the outage as "a fairly large breakdown that exposed major technical faults in India’s grid system. Something went terribly wrong which caused the backup safety systems to fail."[10]
More than 300 million people, nearly 30% of India's population, were without power. Railways and some airports were shut down until 08:00[11] New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport was able to remain open, however, as it switched to back-up power.[10] The outage caused "chaos" for Monday morning rush hour, as passenger trains were shut down and traffic signals were non-operational.[8] Trains stalled for three to five hours.[11] Several hospitals reported interruptions in health services,[8] while others relied on back-up generators.[9] Water treatment plants were shut down for several hours,[11] and millions were unable to draw water from wells powered by electric pumps.[6]
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India stated that the blackout had "severely impacted" businesses, leaving many unable to operate.[12] Oil refineries were able to continue operating, however, as they maintained independent power supplies.[8]
It took 15 hours to restore 80% of service.[10]
31 July
The system failed again at 13:02 IST (07:32 UTC), due to a relay problem near the Taj Mahal.[13]
As a result, power stations across the affected parts of India again went offline. NTPC Ltd. stopped 38% of its generation capacity.[14] Over 600 million people (nearly half of India's population), in 22 out of 28 states in India, were without power.[1]
The following states were affected by the grid failure:[15]
- States on the northern grid: Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand.
- States on the eastern grid: Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal
- States on the northeast grid: Arunanchal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim.
More than 300 intercity passenger trains and commuter lines were shut down as a result of the power outage.[16][17] The worst affected zones in the wake of the power grid's collapse were Northern, North Central, East Central, and East Coast railway zones, with parts of Eastern, South Eastern and West Central railway zones. The Delhi Metro suspended service on all six lines as power tripped for the second consecutive day. Delhi Metro had to evacuate passengers from trains that stopped mid-journey. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority helped in this evacuation.[14] As result of this blackout, around 200 miners were trapped underground in eastern India due to lifts failing, but officials later said they had all been rescued.[18]
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), not normally mandated to investigate blackouts, began to do so because of the threat to basic infrastructure facilities like railways, metro rail system, lifts in multi-story buildings, and movement of vehicular traffic.[19][20]
Reactions
On the day of the collapse, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde ordered a three-member panel to determine the reason for the failure and report on it in fifteen days.[21] In response to criticism, he observed that India was not alone in suffering major power outages, as blackouts had also occurred in the United States and Brazil within the previous few years.[7]
The Washington Post described the failure as adding urgency to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's plan for a US$400 billion overhaul of India's power grid. His plan calls for a further 76 gigawatts of generation by 2017,[10] produced in part by nuclear power.
Rajiv Kumar, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) said, "One of the major reasons for the collapse of the power grid is the major gap between demand and supply. There is an urgent need to reform the power sector and bring about infrastructural improvements to meet the new challenges of the growing economy."[22]
On 1 August 2012, newly appointed Power Minister Moodbidri Veerappa Moily refrained from a blame game and hinted that a focus will be given on combating the troubles facing the power sector.[23] He said, "First thing is to stabilize the grid and it has to sustain. For that we will work out a proper strategy,.. I don't want to start with the blame game...at the appropriate time, we will find out short term and medium term solutions, ".[23] Moily also urged common people to manage power better.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Power crisis now trips 22 states, 600 million people hit". Deccan Herald. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "India blackouts leave 700 million without power". The Guardian, UK. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "620 million without power in India after 3 power grids fail". USA Today. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "India's Mass Power Failure Worst Ever in World History". Outlook. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Power grids fail: Power restoration complete in Delhi & northeast, 50% in eastern region". The Economic Times. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Power grid failure: FAQs". Hindustan Times. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Power grid failure makes 370M swelter in dark as India struggles to meet its vast energy needs". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Sujay Mehuddia and Smriti Rak Ramachandaran (30 July 2012). "Worst outage cripples north India". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b Sruthi Gottipatti and Niharika Mandhana (30 July 2012). "Power Restored to Most of north India". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d Kartikay Mehrotra and Andrew MacAskill (31 July 2012). "Singh's $400 Billion Power Plan Gains Urgency as Grid Collapses". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b c "Power cut causes major disruption in northern India". BBC News. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ "When the lights went out". The Hindustan Times. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ Gardiner Harris and Heather Timmons (31 July 2012). "Half of India Crippled by Second Day of Power Failures". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b Kartikay Mehrotra and Rakteem Katakey (31 July 2012). "India Blacks Out From New Delhi to Kolkata as Grid Fails Again". Bloomberg. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "India faces worst blackout as grids collapse hits 20 states, 60 crore people". IBN. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ Saurabh Chaturvedi and Santanu Choudhury (31 July 2012). "India's Power Grid Collapses Again". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "Multiple grid collapses hit train services again". First Post. Press Trust of India. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "Hundreds of millions without power in India". BBC News. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ Vishwa Moham (31 July 2012). "Blackout expands NDMA's scope". Times of India. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "Power supply partially restored; Modi attacks PM". First Post. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Greedy states send power grid crashing". Hindustan Times. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ "India blackout, on second day, leaves 600 million without power". The Washington Post. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Don't want to start with blame game: Veerappa Moily". ibnlive. 01 August 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
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