Power consumption load in India dropped around 85,300 Megawatts (MW) as people switched off electric lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday. According to the Ministry of Power, the demand in the grid went down from 1,17,300 MW at 8:49 pm to 85, 300 MW across India till 9:09 pm on April -- a reduction of 32,000 MW (32GW). The power-demand started to rise once the blackout was over. Therefore, the voltage was kept stable at a frequency between 49.7 to 50. 26 Hz, the ministry added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 3 had urged Indian citizens to switch off lights at their homes and light lamps, candles or turn on mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday as a gesture to "challenge the darkness spread by the corona crisis".
Union Power Minister RK Singh congratulated all electricity-producing bodies. "The national grid operator POSOCO and the national, regional and state load despatch centres did a great job 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.
The Maharashtra State Load Dispatch Centre (MSLDC) also witnessed a demand drop by 3,237 MW. The demand for power, which was at 13,160 MW at 8.59 pm in the state, dropped to 9,923 MW at 9.05 pm. Of this, the demand in Mumbai alone dropped to 1,255 MW at 9.05 pm from 1,722 MW at 8.59 pm.
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