Chhattisgarh saves Western Grid from falling into darkness

Power-surplus Chhattisgarh state has played important role in retaining stability in the Western Grid that prevented five important states to plunge into darkness on Tuesday.

Even as more than half of the country faced its worst electricity blackout yesterday following failure of three girds, the Western states remained totally unaffected. The strict discipline among the member states in drawing power is citing to be one of the reasons for the same.

The Western Regional Load Dispatch Centre or the Western Grid a subsidiary of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) ‘consists of five important states that include Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. The two union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu are also included in the Western Grid. Of the five states, Chhattisgarh is reported to be the only power surplus state with zero power cut. The state endowed with high grade coal in abundance has been a major player in the Western Grid, which is one of the five Grids of the PGCIL. The surplus power that the state has been injecting in the Grid or technically under-drawing power from the grid has helped Western Region to become most ‘powerful’. “Our presence in the Grid is very important and this has been one of the reasons for the stability in the Western Grid,” Chhattisgarh’s Energy Secretary Aman Singh told Business Standard. The other states are power deficient and hence Chhattisgarh is playing the crucial role for the healthy status of the Grid.