9 minutes at 9pm: How @narendramodi
the electricity grid manager& #39;s weekend.
1) He& #39;s given them too little time to prepare for 12GW of power demand to disappear in those 9 minutes. Our coal power-dependent grid just cannot ramp up and down that quick.

2) Best case scenario: Load shedding starts at 8pm on Sunday and lasts till 9.20pm.
Worst case scenario: Lines will trip. We& #39;ll have an actual blackout.
Read my @livemint explainer here https://www.livemint.com/industry/energy/explained-grid-challenges-to-the-sunday-night-blackout-plan-11585926858765.html">https://www.livemint.com/industry/...

Updating the thread: POSOCO - the grid manager - has just issued a notification to all regional and state load despatch centres.
- It expects 12-13 gigawatts of power demand to disappear between 9-9.09 pm on Sunday.
- "This sharp reduction in load & recovery is unprecedented."

- Northern region is expected to see the biggest drop in demand at 3436 MW; western region demand expected to go down by 3686MW.
- POSOCO says that by 8.55pm, coal power plants must operate at minimium capacity of 60%. Hydropower and natural gas plants will be turned off.

- Because generation will be slowed down, there might be scattered power cuts leading up to 9pm. (Eg. Uttar Pradesh is using this strategy).
- After 9.09 pm, this 13GW of demand is expected to return. So hydro & gas power plants will now be ramped up to meet this sudden surge.