Grid failure sets off huge power outage

ISLAMABAD:

 

Sindh, Balochistan and some other parts of Punjab were without power for several hours on Thursday after grid failure shut down a number of power stations one by one in stunning fashion.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Power Division, the disruption occurred in two 500kV transmission lines in Thursday morning in the south of Karachi.

The country has faced breakdowns several times in the past and the recent one shows that the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) had failed to put in place permanent remedial measures to overcome the incidents in the future.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has recently imposed a fine of Rs20 million on the NTDC because of breakdowns and collapsing of its towers.

Karachi, the economic hub of the country, also knocked out of the grid because of the NTDC system collapse.

Power Minister Khurram Dastgir addressed a news conference following the massive outages in the country.

The minister said the breakdown was caused by the loss of power on two lines.
This resulted in the shutting down of the Thar coal power plant and Karachi nuclear power plant.

He said that the government would check the "not typical” problem in the two lines.

The minister added that the fault had resulted in taking out 8,000MW electricity from the system.

However, he said 5,000MW had been restored.

Dastgir said electricity had been totally restored in Multan and Faisalabad, while restoration efforts were still under way in Karachi, Quetta, and Hyderabad.

The minister warned the restoration procedure would take time, but promised that the nation’s power would be restored to normal by tonight.

He added that three teams were engaged to address the matter -- the reconnection, repair, and investigation.

The minister informed the media that the investigation team has been given four days to deliver a report on the cause of the breakdown. “Once this comes to light, the right measures will be taken," he added.

Dastgir maintained that necessary action had been taken to swiftly resolve the problem in its early phases by isolating Karachi and minimising the damage.

“The breakdown began at 9:16am, and by 9:35am, Karachi’s electrical grid was cut off,” he said, adding that the supply of 1,000 MW to the city went off the grid.
However, he added that K-Electric’s system was independently operating and supplying electricity to portions of the city.

He maintained that the northern region of the country was “protected” from the breakdown thanks to the authorities' prompt response.

According to a statement issued by the Power Division, an inquiry committee had been formed to probe the failure of the system and identify those responsible for this fault.

The committee has been directed to submit its report within four days.

The committee will comprise officials to probe to look into the facts and causes of the breakdown that engulfed almost a quarter of the country.

The body comprises its convener, General Manager (Technical) Lahore Muhammad Mustafa,; General Manager (AM) North Lahore Anwar Ahmed Khan; Chief Engineer (TSG) North Lahore Muhammad Ijaz Khan; and Chief Engineer (OP) NPCC Islamabad Muhammad Zakaria.

The committee has also been directed to conclude its findings into the inquiry based on the terms of reference (ToRs).

According to ToRs, the committee will determine the root cause of the fault.
It will also ascertain if the fault leading to the partial breakdown in the country could have been contained.

It will verify whether the measures -- technical and timewise -- taken by the concerned departments for protection of the system were adequate.

The committee will also review the previous inquiry reports into similar breakdowns and ascertain whether the recommendations made in them were adopted and implemented by the concerned departments or not.

It will fix responsibility on those involved in case any negligence is observed.

Besides, the committee will recommend remedial measures to be taken in order to avoid reoccurrence of a similar event in the future.

It will also inquire into any other issue related to the incident, not otherwise mentioned in the ToRs, that the committee deems necessary to arrive at a concrete conclusion.