Power demand declines 32 GW as India turns off lights to challenge coronavirus pandemic

In Delhi, the power consumption declined around 726 MW on Sunday night. The minimum power load of 1,235 MW was recorded for eight minutes past 9 pm

BusinessToday.In

Updated Apr 6, 2020 9:13 AM IST

Power demand declines 32 GW as India turns off lights to challenge coronavirus pandemic

PM Modi on April 3 had urged Indian citizens to switch off lights at their homes and light lamps, candles or turn on mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday

Power consumption load in India dropped around 85,300 Megawatts (MW) as people switched off electric lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday. According to the Ministry of Power, the demand in the grid went down from 1,17,300 MW at 8:49 pm to 85, 300 MW across India till 9:09 pm on April -- a reduction of 32,000 MW (32GW). The power-demand started to rise once the blackout was over. Therefore, the voltage was kept stable at a frequency between 49.7 to 50. 26 Hz, the ministry added.

The demand went down from 117300 Megawatts at 2049 hrs to 85300 Megawatts till 2109 hrs; that is a reduction of 32000 Megawatts. Then it started increasing. Frequency was maintained within a band of 49.7 to 50. 26 Hz, which means the voltage was kept stable. (2/4)
R. K. Singh (@RajKSinghIndia) April 5, 2020

Demand in the grid came down by 32000 MW within a few minutes but the frequency and voltage was mantained within the normal range. The drop in national demand by 32000 megawatts shows a huge response of the nation to the call of the Prime Minister. (2/2)@narendramodi @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/yuxkdPXYBK

R. K. Singh (@RajKSinghIndia) April 5, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 3 had urged Indian citizens to switch off lights at their homes and light lamps, candles or turn on mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday as a gesture to "challenge the darkness spread by the corona crisis".

Union Power Minister RK Singh congratulated all electricity-producing bodies. "The national grid operator POSOCO and the national, regional and state load despatch centres did a great job with support from all generators; NHPC, NEEPCO, THDC, SJVNL, BBMB, NTPC, all state gencos and IPPs, Transcos and Distribution companies and their officers and staff," he said.

The national grid operator POSOCO and the national, regional and state load despatch centres did a great job with support from all generators; NHPC, NEEPCO, THDC, SJVNL, BBMB, NTPC, all state gencos and IPPs, Transcos and Distribution companies and their officers and staff. (3/4)
R. K. Singh (@RajKSinghIndia) April 5, 2020

In Delhi, the power consumption declined around 726 MW on Sunday night. The minimum power load of 1,235 MW was recorded for eight minutes past 9 pm. Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), which supplies power to roughly 70 crore consumers of north and north-west Delhi, said the company successfully managed the meagre drop of 157 MW in the power demand during these nine minutes.

The Maharashtra State Load Dispatch Centre (MSLDC) also witnessed a demand drop by 3,237 MW. The demand for power, which was at 13,160 MW at 8.59 pm in the state, dropped to 9,923 MW at 9.05 pm. Of this, the demand in Mumbai alone dropped to 1,255 MW at 9.05 pm from 1,722 MW at 8.59 pm.

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