Lessons learned from July 2012 Indian blackout

Grid disturbances occurred on 30th and 31st of July 2012 leaving millions of Indians in the dark for hours. It was understood that in the blackout that occurred on 31st of July, hydro power was slowed down which led to inadequate power generation while people overdrew more power for cooling off since the temperature was extremely high. This paper investigates the main reasons for the occurrence of the blackout. A simplified simulation model was established with DIgSILENT Power Factory to reproduce the grid behavior when the blackout occurred. After the sensitivity analysis, policy and strategies are recommended to enhance the grid security and robustness at the end of the paper.