High power attitude status

Even unique ‘islanding’ system, Rs 500-cr annual surcharge failed to protect city. What went wrong? A power grid comprises a network of transmission lines connecting a power plant to households through high-voltage lines. In between, the electricity is sent through a number of substations, where the high voltage aka transmission voltage is ‘stepped down’ to distribution voltage to allow it to be used in households without frying up appliances. In Mumbai, these substations are at Salsette, Kalwa, Borivali, Vikhroli, Kharghar and Versova. The city gets electricity from four distributors: the state-owned Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), BEST Undertaking, and private players Tata Power and Adani Electricity . The blackout, although a surprise, wasn’t the result of an overnight, single failure. Problems began three days ago. ♦ October 10: One of the transmission grids—the 400 kV Talegaon-Kalwa line—was shut down to address a ‘technical … [Read more...] about Multiple power trips, grid separation failure to blame

A severe winter storm recently caused massive blackouts in the US state of Texas, leaving millions in freezing temperatures and darkness for days and claiming more than 30 lives. That led to some netizens in China wondering "If similar extreme weather hit China, would the same tragedy happen?" The answer is probably "no", as China's power supply system has several advantages. Texas has an almost completely isolated grid system – power from other states accounts for only 1.7 percent of its maximum capacity. As a whole, the United States doesn't have a national grid system and lacks coordination among states. In comparison, China has a national grid system, which is composed of six regional systems. Except the northwestern region, which has a 750-kilovolt backbone power network, the other five regions all have 500-kV networks, with networks in the North China and East China boasting 1000-kV ultra-high voltage power transmission lines. When Texas was hit by the blackout, … [Read more...] about Could China’s power grid withstand a Texas-sized disaster?

Chinese state sponsored actors  may have deployed malware into Indian power grids and seaports as border tensions between India-China began escalating in May last culminating in a deadly clash along the Line of Control (LAC) in mid June. The alleged cyber intrusion was discovered and revealed by U.S. cyber security and intelligence firm Recorded Future,  the New York Times , which broke the story, reported.  An October 12 grid failure in Mumbai may have been caused by the Chinese malware, as per the report. The Massachusetts based firm found that in the lead up to the clashes, they noticed an increase in malware targeting the government, defence organisations and the public sector. The Power Ministry confirmed that while attempts to breach systems were made, the power sector had not been impacted. Also read: Mumbai faces major power cut due to 'multiple tripping' of supply lines Recorded Future told The Hindu that there is still some evidence of ongoing intrusion although … [Read more...] about Chinese malware may have targeted Indian power systems and seaports: U.S. firm

After experiencing more than a $9000 increase in her own power bill between February 13 and February 19, Mount Belvieu, Texas-resident Lisa Khoury has since moved to take legal action against provider Griddy Electric LLC, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Houston. The proposed class-action lawsuit seeks more than $1 billion in compensatory and punitive damages for customers impacted by what Derek Potts, an attorney representing Khoury, believes is "predatory pricing" amid the recent bouts of extreme winter weather in Texas. "At this point we don’t know how many people might be affected, but there are likely thousands of customers who’ve received these outrageous bills," Potts told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "A class action will be the most efficient and effective way for Griddy’s customers to come together and fight this predatory pricing." The court filing accuses Griddy - which offers wholesale electricity at variable rates for $9.99/mo. - of violating Texas' … [Read more...] about Texas Woman Alleges Price Gouging in $1 Billion Class Action Suit Against Power Retailer

The devil is in the details, more so in the tax code. We would do well to remember that all tax reform is fundamentally a policy decision on how to justify wealth distribution through the conveyor belt of government and the burdening of certain sectors of the economy with the cost for underwriting its operation. As to be expected, in the ongoing debate regarding tax reform lawmakers are generally arguing from their respective political positions: Republicans favoring tax cuts for the benefit of taxpayers and Democrats favoring continued funding of federal programs at the expense of wealthier taxpayer. ADVERTISEMENT Of course, this general statement loses its sharpness as soon as we focus in the details of the proposed statutory language and the different interest groups that either benefit or are harmed by it. A close reading of certain provisions of the tax reform bill as approved by the House Ways and Means Committee, for example, reflect the ongoing debate in the … [Read more...] about Congress can’t dodge Puerto Rico’s status in tax debate