Power breakdowns are back in the northern parts of the country for the past two days. Most of Punjab and Islamabad are experiencing frequent outages. This time around, the reason is more to do with technical faults, pollution and the weather rather than any supply-side issues.
Stating the technical in simple terms, the outages are occurring due to the tripping of the power and transmission distribution systems, specifically the 220Kv transmission lines, which are the next major power-arteries after the main 512Kv high-voltage tension wires. But it doesn’t end there. The tripping cascades down the transmission chain to the 132Kv distribution lines as well.
Here is why the lines are tripping, according to NTDC officials. Increasing pollution in densely-populated areas of Punjab leads to the accumulation of dust on transmission lines. Add to this the new smog phenomena engulfing parts of Punjab and one has the perfect recipe for disaster when it comes to system breakdowns. The dusty wires attract moisture and experience sparking which then forces grid shutdowns to prevent fire and damage to the system.
How can the issue be mitigated? For starters, pollution-emitting industries in close proximity with high-tension wires should be relocated. Brick kilns emitting soot and smoke should also not be allowed near sensitive power-transmission lines.
In this regard, prevention is the main cure because it is not practically possible for the NTDC’s workforce to manually clean over 16,000+ kilometers of transmission lines spread across the country. Provincial governments would have to take the lead, especially the environmental departments, which have to ensure that pollution-emitting industries are kept away from transmission lines.
Our Chinese neighbours have considerable expertise when it comes to containing the effects of smog on infrastructure and power-transmission systems. Their technical assistance should also be utilized. The matter was discussed in the previous government’s tenure but no notable outcome has materialized so far.
Measures like installation of air-filter towers powered by solar energy are being used by the Chinese as an innovative method to combat smog. The initial results have been impressive and the air-purifier cleans at the nano-level, removing fine particulate dust as well. This is just one solution and many others could be explored if the intent is there.
Lastly, there are no two opinions about the fact that the transmission network is in dire need of rehabilitation. The ageing infrastructure means components like insulators are already well beyond their useful life in a lot of cases. These are extra prone to damage especially in adverse weather conditions. Generation has seen a lot of investment and the current government should put maximum focus on improving the transmission and distribution systems.
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