Union Power Minister RK Singh on Sunday (April 5) said that electricity supply demand plunged during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘switch off the light’ campaign at 9 pm on Sunday to dispel the darkness created by COVID-19 coronavirus but the frequency was maintained and the voltage was kept stable.
Singh said that the demand in the grid came down from 117300 Megawatts (MW) at 8.49 pm to 85300 MW till 9.09 pm, which was a fall of 32000 MW but the frequency was maintained within the normal range. He added that frequency was maintained within a band of 49.7 to 50.26 Hz, which means voltage was kept stable. Singh lauded the national grid operator Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) and the national, regional and state load despatch centres for doing a great job in maintaining the frequency. “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.
Earlier on Sunday, the Union Minister had said that Indian electricity grid is well designed to handle load variation and has several inbuilt levels of control and safety mechanisms to absorb any kind of frequency changes occurring due to such load variation.
Millions of Indians across the country switched off the lights at their homes and lit candles, diyas or turned on their mobile phone flashlights at 9 pm on Sunday in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to show “collective resolve and solidarity” in the country’s fight against coronavirus COVID-19.
As the clock struck 9, lights went out in most houses and people gathered in balconies and outside their homes, with some flashing mobile flashlights while others lit candles and diyas.
Citizens, celebrities, sports stars and politicians all participated and in the “light against coronavirus” resolve. Many people also resorted to fireworks while devotional songs, mantras and the National Anthem was also played.