New Delhi, Apr 4 (KNN) In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a nine-minute blackout at 9 pm on April 5, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCI) has geared up to ensure grid stability during the period.

The PM's announcement has raised concerns for power grid managers following which PCCI has already written to its regional heads cautioning about the possibility of grid-constraints and instability.

''In view of Prime Minister's appeal today for switching off house lights at 9 pm on April 5 for Nine minutes to show solidarity during lockdown. The power grid requirement is likely to reduce during this period. This may lead to sudden increase in system voltage system at various station and can outage of grid element due to grid constraints. All regions are requested to take precautionary measures,'' the letter read.
 
PGCI in its letter also advised all station In-charge and RTAMC operation staff to be on high alert during this period fir the said event on April 5.

''Immediate liaison with NTAMC may be made in case of any abnormality/assistance as required,'' suggested PGCI.

However, to meet the challenge, Union Power Minister R K Singh had held a meeting with top officials of Power Grid and Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) under which Northern Load Dispatching Centre (NLDC) operates. The Power Grid, POSOCO and NLDC officials are in touch with states for taking steps to stabilise grid while the states' energy departments are scrambling to secure their system in the event of variations in load.