"Outage leaves 370 million without power in India" by Ravi Nessman | Associated Press, July 31, 2012
NEW DELHI — A power failure cut service to 370 million people in northern India for up to 15 hours Monday, halting trains, forcing hospitals and airports onto backup power, and providing a dark, sweltering reminder of the nation’s inability to meet its energy needs as its economy grows.
While the outage was unique in its reach — more than the population of the United States and Canada combined — its impact was softened by Indians’ familiarity with almost daily blackouts of varying duration. Hospitals and major businesses have backup generators, as do upscale homes.
Nonetheless, some small businesses were forced to shut for the day. Buildings were without water because the pumps weren’t working, and the vaunted New Delhi Metro, with 1.8 million daily riders, was paralyzed during the morning commute....
The grid that failed feeds the nation’s breadbasket in Punjab, the war-wracked region of Jammu and Kashmir, the burgeoning capital of New Delhi, the Dalai Lama’s Himalayan headquarters in Dharmsala, and the world’s most populous state, poverty-stricken Uttar Pradesh. The power failure also affected businesses and households in the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Many areas had power back in less than nine hours. By evening, 15 hours after the outage began, officials said full power had been restored.
The outage left millions sweltering in summer heat. Muslim families had to eat predawn meals by candlelight before beginning their daytime Ramadan fast.
The Confederation of Indian Industry said the outage was a reminder of the urgent need for the government to fix the power sector, ensure a steady supply of coal for power plants, and reform the electric utilities. Transmission and distribution losses in some states are as much as 50 percent because of theft and corruption.
Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde deflected criticism, pointing out that the United States and Brazil also had huge power failures in recent years. “I ask you to look at the power situation in other countries as well,’’ he said.
That never works on someone who has lost power, believe me. We don't care about the other guy and his problems at that moment.
The blackout, the worst to hit India in a decade, began about 2:30 a.m. Officials in Uttar Pradesh, where the problem was believed to have begun, said the grid could not keep up with the huge demand for power in the hot summer.
But Shinde said he was not sure what caused the collapse and had formed a committee to investigate.
More than 100 trains were stranded when their electric engines failed. Others were delayed for hours as they were hooked to diesel engines.
The failure was the first time since 2001 that the northern grid collapsed. But India’s demand for electricity has soared since then as its population and economy have grown sharply.
But any connection to the grid remains a luxury for many. One-third of India’s households do not even have electricity.
Gandhi would be twirling in his grave had he not been cremated.
The power deficit was worsened by a weak monsoon that lowered hydroelectric generation and kept temperatures higher, further increasing electricity usage as people sought to cool off....
Power cuts are common across large sections of India....
Improving infrastructure, which the World Economic Forum says is a major obstacle to doing business in India, is among the toughest challenges facing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he bids to revive expansion in Asia’s third-largest economy; it slid to a nine-year low of 5.3 percent in the first quarter.
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"Answers elusive as blackouts cripple wider swath of India" by Gardiner Harris and Jim Yardley | New York Times, August 01, 2012
NEW DELHI — It had all the makings of a disaster movie....
Blackout Tuesday, which came only a day after another major power failure....
India’s coalition government, already battered for its stewardship of a wobbling economy, again found itself on the defensive, as top ministers could not definitively explain what had caused the grid failure or why it had happened on consecutive days.
Theories included the less plausible possibility that large solar flares had set off a failure.
By Tuesday evening, power had been restored in most regions, and many people in major cities barely noticed the disruption because localized blackouts are so common that many businesses, hospitals, offices, and middle-class homes are equipped with backup diesel fuel generators.
But that did not prevent people from being furious, especially after the government chose Tuesday to announce a long-awaited Cabinet reshuffle in which the power minister was promoted to take over the home ministry, one of the country’s most important positions.
‘‘This is a huge failure,’’ said Prakash Javadekar, a spokesman for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. ‘‘It is a management failure as well as a failure of policy. It is policy paralysis in the power sector.’’
For millions of ordinary people, Tuesday brought frustration and anger; for some, there was fear....
That's why you need a gun in the land of Gandhi.
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"Blackout fuels doubts about India’s economic ambitions" by Rama Lakshmi and Simon Denyer | Washington Post, August 02, 2012
NEW DELHI — Power was restored across India on Wednesday after the worst blackout in global history, but responsibility for the crisis remained elusive. As the lights came back on, one thing was as clear as day — the government was not prepared to take the blame....
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s blackout, the second in two days, some commentators had seen a possible silver lining. Perhaps, they said, this was exactly the crisis India needed to force its politicians to make some tough decisions and fix the inefficient and overburdened power sector.
Awwwww right, who threw the switch!?
So far, though, the signs are not encouraging.
Instead of vows to improve the system, India’s politicians lined up on Wednesday to shift the blame onto someone else. And the man in overall charge, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, stayed out of the spotlight, failing to issue even a single word of reassurance to his nation....
Who cares what a ceremonial figurehead has to say?
The government conceded it was ‘‘clueless.’’
Finally, an honest government.
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Related: Fear the grid
Also see: The Clear Cut Need For Power
Couldn't be any clearer, could it?
Scarce rain in India is straining farmers
This after the GMO crop yields were causing them to commit suicide.
"7 killed in flash floods, landslides
LUCKNOW — Flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains have killed at least seven people in northern India, including three firefighters who were swept away in rescue efforts, an official said (AP)."
Also see:
Coca-Cola lifts investment in India
Liberty Mutual in India venture
A couple of corporate powers there, huh?
