The 10 Biggest Power Outages Ever Recorded

Power outages can cause severe economic and social distress. A prolonged disruption of electric power, particularly on a larger municipal, district or regional scale, can have immense adverse effects on health, safety, and commerce & industry, so power utilities should be prepared to respond to cases of wide-spread power interruption.

We have trawled the Web to trace the 10 biggest power outages recorded in history. Here is what we found out…

1. July 2012, India

In what could be the biggest power outage in the world, the blackout in India in July 2012 left an estimated 620 million people without electricity. The outage was ascribed to the tripping of a circuit breaker, owing to a spike in electricity consumption during one of the hottest seasons ever recorded.

2. January 2001, India

In January 2001, almost 230 million people lost power due to a fault in the transmission system in one state, which caused a cascading failure throughout the other states in India’s northern region.

3. November 2014, Bangladesh

A failure of a power transmission line from India to Bangladesh caused a power outage that left more than 150 million people without electricity.

4. January 2015, Pakistan

Eighty per cent of the country, or 140 million people, was left without electricity after an explosion at a power plant caused a backward surge of electricity to the facility. This caused the tripping of power lines, leading to a cascading effect throughout the country’s grid.

5. August 2015, Indonesia

Caused by a major transmission line failure, and the consequent disengaging of several power plants, the power outage of August 2015 in the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java left more than 100 million people without electricity.

6. March 1999, Brazil

Ascribed to a lightning strike that caused cascading failure throughout Southern Brazil’s power infrastructure, the largest power outage in the history of Brazil left 97 million people without electricity.

7. November 2009, Brazil and Paraguay

When transmission lines from the power station at Itaipu were tripped by a major thunderstorm, 87 million people from Brazil’s most populous states and the entire country of Paraguay were left without electricity.

8. August 2003, US and Canada

Known as one of the “Northeast Blackouts” of the past century, the power outage of 2003 affected 55 million people. The outage was blamed to a technical error that caused the control room alarm system to fail to alert controllers about overloaded transmission lines, leading to widespread grid distress.

9. September 2003, Italy

With the exception of the island of Sardinia, the entire country of Italy lost electricity, leaving 55 million people in the dark. The investigation revealed that the outage was caused by a system overload following a storm damage to a power line coming in from Switzerland. This consequently tripped power lines running in from France.

10. March 1978, Thailand

A generator failure in a single power plant caused a nationwide grid shutdown for an entire day, causing inconvenience to more than 40 million people.


Multi-megawatt rental power plants are the ideal solution to stabilize the grid and support power networks. They are immediately available, can be deployed at a moment’s notice to anywhere in the world. They can be easily installed and are capable of continuously supplying reliable electricity in a matter of days. Temporary power plants can be easily connected to existing power infrastructure, and can generate electricity in sync with the local power generation plants or as a standalone system. They are flexible in power and voltage, and their output can be scaled up or down to meet varying electricity demands.

In hiring rental power plants, utility companies need not worry about capital expenditure; in fact, they will have significant savings in the operation and maintenance of the temporary power plants, owing to their reliability and fuel efficiency.

The effects of power outages to people, businesses, industries and social services can be devastating. Without electricity many of the most important needs of the modern society will go unmet. Because electricity plays such a vital role in our daily lives, its reliable and continuous supply is of utmost importance.

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The Backup Plan: What Fuels the Temporary Power Plant Market in India

India is facing an acute power shortage due to the observed inability of dated and inefficient power infrastructure to support the growing energy demand of the public, as well as of the industries. In fact, according to a recent report by the Central Electricity Authority, India loses about INR 414,800 crore of its GDP due to electricity shortage. The northern states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himchal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were said to be the worst affected with a deficit of 7.1% or 2,912 MW. On the other hand, the northeastern region of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunchal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram were said to have recorded a deficit of 5.9%.

Expanding economy

These conditions set a backdrop for better prospects for the temporary power industry in India. While still in its nascent stages, the rental power market in India has an encouraging outlook, with the coming years expected to see a bullish rise in the country’s GDP. When economies are growing, industrial and commercial activities tend to become energy-intensive. While the power infrastructure in India is being refurbished or enhanced, commercial and industrial entities will likely be more inclined to hire the services of rental power providers than lose production during maintenance, expansion or shutdown of permanent power facilities. Utility companies, in addition, turn to rental power options when demand for electricity spikes during summer months, or when electrification fails in times of natural calamities.

According to industry experts, however, rental power plants will find most opportunities in the Indian construction sector. The expected increase in infrastructure projects in India will necessitate economical, uninterrupted and reliable power wherever and whenever needed. Due to the observed inability of existing power infrastructure to support the present demand, let alone the additional requirement in the future, many construction sites will require standby power generation equipment to run round-the-clock without interruption.

The frenetic pace of construction will also entail power sources that can be swiftly delivered, rapidly installed and easily operated anywhere in India; and this is where rental power plants are most advantageous. Because they are containerized and relatively compact compared to permanent power infrastructure, temporary power stations can be shipped from and to any place on the planet, not barring remote areas where no one has ever been. They also have a plug-and-play configuration that makes them easy to install, connect and power on in a matter of days. They are equipped with the latest power technologies that allow them to be directly connected to the grid without the need for a substation, and to vary the electricity output depending on the precise need of the location.

Aside from utility and construction, rental power plants also find application in mining, oil & gas, shipping, telecom, events and emergency response.

Stringent environmental regulations

Another driver that is fuelling the development of the temporary power technology in India is the new Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) II norms, which aims to reduce pollution in the entire country. Being an omnibus regulation, the norm will require different industries, temporary power equipment providers included, to comply with the cleaner emission standards. Observed to be even more stringent than its European counterpart, the CPCB II norms are welcomed by the industry, as it believes that it represents a step towards the development of rental power units that are not only efficient and viable, but also environmentally friendly.

The temporary power industry in India considers the move towards environmental stewardship beneficial not only to the manufacturers, but most certainly to the consumers. Proactive rental power companies have already introduced Earth-friendly generators, like those running or gas or dual-fuel, in most of their projects. Mobile power plants running on gas meets most worldwide emission requirements at 250mg/Nm3 of NOx level, even without after-treatment. On the other hand, equipment that runs on dual-fuel utilizes dynamic a gas-blending technology, and is equipped with specialized gas-treatment plants.

Powering India’s future

Though still gaining traction in the country, the Indian rental power market holds promise. The improvement in the country’s infrastructure, as well as the intensive activities of other industries, bodes well for the temporary power industry. Prospective customers in the country are also becoming more mature, and are gradually understanding the advantages of hiring rental power providers as opposed to not having power and letting go of production, profit or opportunities. Additionally, policy changes in India, like the CPCB II norms set up an environment conducive to the technological development of temporary power equipment, making them more suitable for a wider range of applications and appealing to a greater number of consumers.

*The article was originally published on the official website of Energetica India, www.energetica-india.net*

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Altaaqa Global
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Balanced Energy Mix

India’s energy situation was precarious. Energy experts estimated that about 300 million people in India had no access to electricity, and that the demand for energy in the country was consistently outstripping the supply. Energy authorities feared for the worst as electricity requirement during months of peak consumption was expected to exploit the country’s thin energy capacity.

Recognizing the situation’s need for an urgent resolution, the country has ventured into ambitious renewable energy generation projects that could potentially instill balance and reliability to India’s mix of energy sources. Now, India is said to have the fifth-largest power generation portfolio and is touted to be the fifth largest wind energy producer in the world. Power generation from renewable sources in the country is on the rise. In 2013, the share of renewable power in the country’s total energy mix accounted for 12.3%, up from 7.8% in 2012. Wind power accounts for 68% of the aforementioned percentage, with an installed capacity of 19.1 GW. India has also entered into small hydropower, biomass and solar energy generation.

Drivers for growth of renewable energy generation
India’s economy is now enjoying an upturn, with growth rates predicted to peak at 6% in the coming years. With the expanding economy come the growth in urbanization and the rise in per capita energy consumption. As electricity requirements in the country increases, expenses from importing fossil fuel for power generation proportionally spikes. In this light, government authorities in India deemed to encourage the country’s transition from fossil-based energy options to renewable sources through offering various incentives, such as tax holidays and generation-based incentives (GBIs).
When technologies were gradually rolled out, renewable energy proved to be increasingly cost-competitive compared to fossil-based power. Renewable sources were also considered to be highly scalable and distributed, thus alternative power generation became justifiable in the electrification of remote areas, which may have deficiency in power grid and road infrastructure.

With renewable energy generation becoming an attractive endeavor for foreign and local investors alike, India’s government created a liberal environment for investment in renewable energy projects.

Some challenges ahead
India is now among the world leaders in renewable energy generation. While the process holds much potential, there are some observed challenges that are yet to be resolved by the country.

Experts on the ground reveal that one of the obstacles to the proliferation of renewable energy facilities, particularly that of wind and solar, is the perceived insufficiency in the strict employment of renewable purchase obligations (RPOs), which is said to be limiting the demand for power from renewable energy sources. Constraints in transmission infrastructure is also a salient hindrance, because, owing to this, only a limited amount of generated power reaches the grid. Economic factors, like a weak Indian Rupee and delays in payment, also put pressure on project financing and investor interest, respectively.

Perhaps the most striking disadvantage of utilizing renewable energy sources, say experts, is their unpredictability and apparent instability. As wind or solar power generation facilities depend on nature to run, it may be difficult to forecast its performance, which is of particular importance in critical applications. While highly sophisticated prediction equipment is available, it cannot be 100% reliable, and weather disturbances or aberrations can still happen. In cases when there is not enough natural “fuel” to run renewable generation facilities, the areas to which they supply could suffer from load shedding or rolling blackouts. Additionally, in peak summer months or in the coldest winter months when climate control systems are usually in full blast, renewable energy plants can potentially be overwhelmed by the demand if not enough impetus enters the systems.

The need for an energy “safety net”
For a burgeoning country like India, the solution to sustaining economic growth and energy viability may not be simply ascribed to one single source of power. It has been documented that the country’s existing traditional permanent power infrastructure may encounter some difficulties in supporting India’s power demands in a variety of contexts, hence the effort that the country is exerting to make inroads into renewable energy generation. While the new technologies may hold water, total immersion into the new paradigm may take time, as shown by the range of legislative and economic considerations that still present themselves as impediments to alternative energy growth. Renewable technologies are on their way to progress and advancement, as research and development endeavors are well encouraged by the Indian powers that be. Improvement, however, may not happen overnight, and as it unravels, renewable energy facilities may find merit it taking in support from stable and tested technologies, like rental power systems.

Rental generators may be able to supplement the existing power generated by traditional and renewable sources of energy. They can act as an energy “safety net”, preventing electricity levels from falling beyond what is acceptable and productive. These rental generator sets are equipped with state-of-the-art fast-start systems that allows them to supply the needed power at the shortest possible time, in cases of instability from other sources of electricity.

Interim energy technologies also represents a cost-effective immediate solution to power supply shortages, as they do not require sizable initial capital to be acquired. India, as a country looking to increase its expenditure in renewable sources in years to come, may find benefit in this attribute, as renting power generators would not entail denting a country’s budget or restructuring financial resources allocated to other services.

Because they are modular and flexible, temporary generators can also be installed where renewable energy facilities find most appropriate applications. Rental power systems can be easily delivered from any point on Earth to another and, owing to its easy, plug-and-play configuration, can be started in as short as few days.

With rental power plants on board, the perceived limitations of traditional and renewable energy sources can be overcome, and the power can be bridged until the other sources regain their stability. In this context, temporary power plants find their maximum benefit in being used as supplementary or back-up power while permanent energy facilities are being constructed or refurbished, or when alternative energy sources are being advanced and improved.

The key to power is balance
Having a balanced energy mix may be the key to a sustained economic, political and social stability. As countries like India enjoy an economic upturn, growth industries, such as manufacturing, utilities and oil & gas, should be expected to consume large sums of energy. With limited resources, it may be difficult for a country to rein in energy consumption at the expense of economic opportunities. What developing countries need are support systems – like what rental power plants are for energy sustainability. As India maps its road to energy stability, temporary electricity generation facilities are available to support the country’s existing infrastructure to produce continuous and reliable electricity needed to power the country’s future.

*The foregoing article is based on what was originally published in the September 2014 issue of EPC&I magazine, Northern Lights Communications, India.*

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Robert Bagatsing

Altaaqa Global

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Demand-Supply Mismatch

India is currently experiencing an economic upturn, with projected growth rates hitting pre-financial-crisis levels at more than 6%. There is, however, an escalating power supply shortage that may potentially hamper India’s continuous economic growth. 

Energy experts reveal that, to date, an estimated 300 million people in India have no access to electricity – which may seem an irony, in light of the fact that recorded data in recent years show that the demand for power in India has constantly outstripped the supply, both in terms of base load energy and peak availability. Owing to this imbalance, the country is said to register an 8.5% deficit in base load requirement and a 9.8% short-fall in peak load requirement.

This prevailing energy challenge is manifesting. Who could forget the massive blackout of 2012 that left 700 million people in India without electricity? In what is touted to be one of the worst blackouts in history, twenty of India’s 28 states suffered the effects of the power interruption that almost incited social instability and protests for fears that the country was no longer in the position to support its booming local energy demand. The repercussion was widespread and was nothing short of catastrophic: traffic jams all over the affected cities, babies wailing of heat, bodies half-burnt at crematoriums, patients gasping for every breath of life, miners trapped underground in complete darkness, passengers stranded in the middle of miles of track.

While other regions in the country are predicted to be severely affected by the energy shortage, India’s Central Electricity Authority forecasts that Northern India can expect a power surplus during the monsoon months, as most of its power generation capacity is predominantly dependent on hydropower.

This fact bodes well for region and for the other areas where it exports its surplus power, but it may not be permanently dependable. As it is largely conditioned by the amount of rainfall, one of the drawbacks of hydropower generation is that the capacity may gradually recede during seasons of less precipitation or of drought.    

In recognition of these shortcomings, the government is currently taking steps to mitigate the effects of power insufficiency and has then launched ambitious rural electrification programs. The caveat, however, is that the rate of building or refurbishing permanent infrastructure still lags behind the pace of the increase in energy demand. As a result, ground research shows that approximately 400 million Indians still lose power during blackouts and that 35.5% of Indian households still has limited access to electricity. As India’s demand for electricity is not showing signs of slowing down, the country’s energy supply just cannot keep in step.

The much needed power boost

In times when permanent power plants are still in progress and when the customary sources of energy cannot keep up with the electricity requirements, the Government and the utility industry stakeholders may opt to hire temporary power plants. Temporary power generation companies, like Altaaqa Global CAT Rental Power, have the products that can support the existing power generation infrastructure, with the end of bridging the gap in electricity supply as, where and when the necessity be.

Hiring power plants has tested and recognized merits, particularly in cases of emergencies, natural calamities and abrupt seasonal changes. Signing an agreement with interim power providers can also prove beneficial when electricity distribution facilities are not available in certain areas, like in dispersed communities; when permanent power stations are still being constructed or commissioned or when energy generation facilities are being expanded or refurbished.

India’s initiative to harness alternative sources of energy, like hydroelectric, solar, wind, geothermal and tidal has proven to be effective, but seasonal changes may alter the operations of the aforementioned facilities. For instance, some parts of the country where hydroelectric power stations operate may experience droughts or prolonged absence of rain, which in turn can drastically reduce the power generation capacity of the said plants. Solar or photovoltaic farms thrive during summer months but may experience shortage in production in months when days are predominantly cloudy or rainy. In these cases, rental power plants may support the power generation capacity of the current facilities if only to bridge the gap during the crucial months of seasonal change.

Power need not run dry

Tapping the potential of alternative sources of energy definitely has its merits, particularly in the context of natural gas conservation and of sustainability. Yet, one salient disadvantage of these alternative power technologies is their perceived dependence on nature, say on the amount of sunshine, wind or water. With the help of temporary power plants, these alternative energy infrastructure can continue to work at the optimum level, even in times of seasonal change. As a result, the areas where these facilities supply power to will not have to suffer from energy deficiency and constant load shedding. With the aid of interim generators, power need not set as the sun sets, drop as the wind drops and dry up as water dries up.  

*The foregoing article was originally published in the September 2014 issue of Power Watch, India.*

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Robert Bagatsing

Altaaqa Global

Tel: +971 56 1749505

rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com

Road to Growth

Economic excitement is back in many countries in the world. Construction activities have picked up, investment is flowing and manufacturing has once again gained momentum. India’s economy, for instance, reflects a buoyant growth rate of around 5.3% in 2014 and 5.8% in 2015, riding high on intense government and private sector funding and on an aggressive push to build new and improve on existing public and industrial facilities. Naturally, India’s new found economic vitality has attracted entities and professionals from all over the world to set up shop and work in the country, respectively. From information technology to industrial manufacturing to consumer goods, the best global brands are flocking to India as a safe bet of investment.

While the foregoing bodes well for the future of the country and its people, the frenetic pace of economic and social activities in India is taking its toll on the country’s power supply. A study conducted by India’s Central Electricity Authority reported that energy deficiency would be felt across the country and that the spare power capacity of the northern regions would gradually recede. The situation described above has actually been looming for a time now: Recorded data in recent years showed that demand for energy in India had consistently outstripped the supply, both in terms of base load energy and peak availability. India, the data suggested, registered an 8.5% deficit in base load requirement and 9.8% short-fall in peak load requirement.

The government, in recognition of the foregoing, had initiated rural and urban electrification projects that comprised power plants that run on traditional and alternative energy sources. The discrepancy between the rates of the addition of electric power supply and the growth of demand, however, is that wide that the available energy is never enough to fulfill the requirement. And the gap is observed to be continuously growing, whether in generation, transmission or distribution….

The repercussion of the power deficiency is real. In 2012, a massive blackout left 700 million people in India without electricity. In what is touted to be one of the worst blackouts in history, 20 of India’s 28 states suffered the effects of the power interruption that almost incited social instability and protest for fears that the country was no longer able to support its booming local energy demand.
With the feverish growth rate of economic and social activities in India, the country’s demand for electricity should show no signs of slowing down.

How can energy be sustained?
One has to face the truth that permanent power plant projects cannot be completed in days or months. Permanent energy facilities may take decades to complete, as planning, designing, approving, constructing and commissioning them entail time, effort and processes that go through different channels. What, then, can be done? Is there anything that can possibly support the permanent infrastructure while the new ones are being built?

Temporary power generation companies, like Altaaqa Global CAT Rental Power, have the technologies that have the capacity to support the existing power generation infrastructure, bridging the gap in electricity supply as, where and when the necessity be. In times when the power demand heavily outstrips the supply, rental power generators, running on diesel for example, can prove to be viable and affordable sources of energy to avoid disastrous power interruptions, unscheduled load shedding and widespread blackouts.

Though some parts of the country may have occasional spare power capacity, its availability may be periodic and can be severely affected by a disrupted seasonal pattern. For instance, some parts of the country where hydroelectric power stations operate may experience droughts or prolonged absence of rain, which in turn can drastically reduce the power generation capacity of the said plants. Solar or photovoltaic farms thrive during summer months but may experience shortage in production in months when days are predominantly cloudy or rainy. In these cases, rental power plants may support the power generation capacity of the current facilities to bridge the gap during the crucial months of seasonal change.

With its booming industrial manufacturing sector, production facilities in India often need to double, may be even triple, their capacities to meet the international production requirement in certain months, say during Christmas or Diwali. The consequent spike in power consumption may usher in operational challenges. It is highly probable that during the peak months, utility companies will set ceiling caps for electricity consumption or will ask production facilities to pay an additional consumption premium during peak hours. In this case, based on cost-benefit studies conducted among industries within the arc of peak months, it will be more economically sound for manufacturing facilities to hire temporary power plants than to pay an additional fee for every peak kilowatt used, shut down parts of the production complex when power usage is at its peak, or pay a hefty fine for using more power than what has been allocated. Peaker power plants (peakers for short) are an ideal solution offered by energy rental companies to curb seasonal electricity demand during peak production months.

Power partner checklist
To fully capitalize on the advantages of temporary power technologies, the governments and the utility companies in India need to be discerning in hiring an interim energy service provider. In selecting a temporary electricity partner, one should look at the provider’s experience, organization, support system, rate of deployment and equipment reliability and sustainability before signing an agreement with it.

One of the most important things to consider when entering into an agreement with a rental energy provider is its track record in delivering executable, measurable and sustainable solutions to a wide array of projects. If the mobile generator company cannot supply the required power, it may cause more delays in the project, eventually leading to legal disputes and further economic damages. The Indian government and utility companies should avoid dealing with backyard rental companies that will over-promise but will eventually under-deliver. One should ask, ‘Can we really trust mom-and-pop rental power companies when we are supplying power to airports, hospitals, mining facilities, telecommunication entities and petrochemical companies?’

Though temporary power plants are engineered to endure even the harshest conditions known to man, they are by no means indestructible. The governments and the utility companies in India must keep in mind that the service of a rental energy company should not end when the electric power generators are switched on. The company should have the spare parts and the human resources to carry out after-sales support to installed and commissioned projects at any given location, at any given time. One should ask, ‘Do we stop a 100 MW power plant simply because there was no available spare part?’

An interim energy partner should have the capability to react, deploy, mobilize and commission temporary power plants at a moment’s notice. This means that the provider should have available equipment and manpower on the ground to carry out a rapid delivery. If the power rental company has the available equipment to deploy and a team of professional logistic personnel that can deal with the complexities of ports, customs and transportation, it can immediately solve the power crisis.

Providing solutions to power requirement of different entities does not follow a template nor is it governed by a rule of thumb. Each case should be carefully studied and evaluated in order for rental power companies to prescribe an optimal solution. The only way that an interim energy company can afford to meet the exact requirement of any client is for it to have the adequate and state-of-the-art technologies available in its product line.

Now, there is a solution
The power supply situation in India does not have to be a Catch-22. India could not possibly turn its back on investors and professionals saying that they could not stay in the country because they would eventually consume electricity, putting more pressure on the country’s power facilities. On the other hand, India could not go on growing its economy at the expense of its limited power supply that, when severely overwhelmed, might eventually collapse and cause a massive socio-economic tragedy. In times of tough choices, such as this, rental power plants can make a difference. With interim generators supporting the existing power infrastructure, India can go on its road to economic growth without sacrificing the country’s energy supply. While the permanent power facilities are underway, rental energy plants can bridge the electricity gap, allowing India to power its way to a brighter future.

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*The foregoing article was published in the July 2014 issue of Power Line magazine (India Infrastructure Publishing, India).*

PRESS INQUIRIES
Robert Bagatsing
Altaaqa Global
Tel: +971 56 1749505
rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com