NEW DELHI: India on Sunday pulled off a feat, with many experts hailing the 9-pm-9-minute blackout as good as a miracle in terms of electricity grid management. As 9 pm neared, officials at the state-owned Power System Operation Corp Ltd (Posoco) that oversees India’s critical electricity load management functions, National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) and state load despatch centres (SLDCs) awaited with bated breath.
To compound matters, the estimated electricity load reduction went off the charts and was at 32 giga watts (GW)—enough to meet the entire power demand of Pakistan. It was earlier projected to be around 13 GW.
According to a preliminary report by the government late Sunday night reviewed by Mint, “The anticipated reduction in all India demand during this period of 9 minutes was around 12000–14000 MW considering that only lights would be switched off.”
