countrywide blackout

By: Robin Umar

Lahore: Almost the whole country went into darkness late on Saturday night after a major collapse in the national grid, shutting off hydel and thermal power stations one by one.

“A countrywide blackout has been caused by a sudden plunge in frequency in the power transmission system” Power minister Omar Ayub Khan said on Twitter.. The collapse was so severe that the entire power transmission and distribution system over 22,000MW was stumbled, leaving the towns and cities of Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the dark. According to the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), a decline occurs when the frequency in the system suddenly drops to zero from 50. “If the transmission frequency drops to zero from 50, it means the entire system goes idle. Restoration of the frequency to 50 takes time” Mr Khan explained. According to the original report, he said the fault occurred at the Guddu power station at 11:41 on Saturday night. The investigation was instructed by senior staff to determine the reasons for the sudden decrease in frequency. "The entire city of Lahore appears to be powerless after the collapse of the country at 11.50pm," said a Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lecso) official. A spokesman for the electricity unit said special teams had arrived in Tarbela and efforts were underway to restart the power station there.

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