Five J&K hydropower stations missed mandatory black-start drills in 2025-26

Salal, Baglihar, Lower Jhelum, Upper Sindh among units flagged for missing mandatory mock exercises Grid operators seek fresh testing schedules, emergency restoration reports ahead of winter Srinagar, Nov 08: Five hydropower facilities in Jammu and Kashmir, including major generating stations at Salal and Baglihar, were among those that did not conduct mock black-start exercises during the 2025-26 financial year, according to official records of the Northern Regional Power Committee (NRPC), raising questions over the periodic testing of emergency electricity restoration arrangements. The disclosure comes as regional grid operators have renewed directions for testing black-start facilities and verifying the availability of synchronisation equipment at major substations ahead of winter, when reliable electricity supply and the ability to recover from major grid disturbances assume particular importance. According to the minutes of the NRPC's 248th Operation Coordination Sub-Committee meeting, minutes of which were accessed by Rising Kashmir, the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) had identified several generating stations across northern India where mock black-start exercises were not carried out during 2025-26. Among the Jammu and Kashmir facilities listed were Salal Stage-I and II, Baglihar-I and II, Lower Jhelum and Upper Sindh. The two stages at Salal and Baglihar were grouped together in the committee's records. The findings were originally presented during the 247th OCC meeting and were carried forward in the latest review of emergency restoration preparedness. Black-start capability refers to the ability of a generating station to restart without drawing electricity from the external grid, enabling it to support restoration following a widespread power failure. Such facilities are important during partial or complete blackouts, when electricity supply must be restored in a controlled sequence before the wider transmission network can return to normal operation. Under Clause 34.3 of the Indian Electricity Grid Code, users are required to prepare and annually review procedures for restoring electricity supply following partial or total blackouts. The code also requires mock trials of restoration procedures, including black-start exercises, at least once a year. In addition, diesel generator sets and other standalone auxiliary power sources intended for black-start operations must be tested weekly, with reports submitted to the concerned grid authorities on a quarterly basis. The NRPC minutes underline the importance of these exercises in verifying the operational readiness of black-start facilities and familiarising system operators with emergency restoration procedures. During the earlier review, NRLDC observed that the required exercises had not been conducted at the identified generating stations during 2025-26 and asked the concerned utilities to complete them at the earliest. The list extended beyond Jammu and Kashmir to several other hydropower, thermal and gas-based generating stations in the northern region. At the meeting, NRLDC informed the committee that NHPC had shared a schedule for conducting mock black-start exercises at its generating stations. However, the minutes do not provide station-wise dates for the proposed NHPC exercises or establish whether fresh tests had been completed at each of the Jammu and Kashmir projects previously flagged. The committee was also informed that NRLDC had written to regional generating stations and State Load Despatch Centres on October 6, asking them to submit their annual testing schedules for 2026-27. The communication sought mock black-start exercises and dead-bus charging tests at generating stations and relevant subsystems, along with submission of the results. NRLDC further advised utilities to undertake dead-bus charging after self-starting a generating station where a testing schedule involving load was not available. The committee also sought detailed information on synchronisation facilities at substations operating at 220 kV and above, including their availability, voltage level, type and operational condition. The direction assumes added significance in view of a separate finding recorded in the same meeting concerning difficulties encountered during restoration of electricity supply to Kashmir after a partial blackout last winter. According to NRLDC, electricity could not be extended during that restoration operation because a synchronising trolley was unavailable at the Amargarh end. Transmission operators were consequently advised to ensure the availability of such equipment at substations in Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate faster restoration during emergencies. The latest review also recorded progress in emergency testing elsewhere in the northern region. The committee was informed that a mock black-start exercise had been conducted at Bhakra Right Hydroelectric Project on October 15, while schedules had been communicated for exercises at Tehri, Koteshwar, Nathpa Jhakri and Rampur. Following deliberations, the OCC asked all concerned generating stations and states to conduct mock black-start exercises within their respective control areas and share the resulting reports. It also reiterated the requirement for periodic testing of diesel generator sets used for emergency restoration. The absence of exercises during 2025-26 does not, by itself, establish that the identified Jammu and Kashmir generating stations lack black-start capability or would be unable to restart following a grid failure. However, it means the prescribed annual mock testing was not carried out at the facilities identified in the official review. The minutes also leave unanswered whether all the outstanding exercises have since been completed and whether the concerned utilities have submitted updated emergency restoration reports. With Kashmir entering another winter of increased electricity demand, the findings place renewed focus on the readiness of generating stations and transmission infrastructure to respond effectively to major power disruptions.