World's biggest blackout: 620 million people without power in India
Source: CSM
India's energy crisis cascaded over half the country Tuesday when three of its regional grids collapsed, leaving 620 million people without government-supplied electricity for several hours in, by far, the world's biggest-ever blackout.
Hundreds of trains stalled across the country and traffic lights went out, causing widespread traffic jams in New Delhi. Electric crematoria stopped operating, some with bodies half burnt, power officials said. Emergency workers rushed generators to coal mines to rescue miners trapped underground.
The massive failure a day after a similar, but smaller power failure has raised serious concerns about India's outdated infrastructure and the government's inability to meet its huge appetite for energy as the country aspires to become a regional economic superpower.
Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde blamed the new crisis on states taking more than their allotted share of electricity.
Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0731/World-s-biggest-blackout-620-million-people-without-power-in-India
valerief
(53,235 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)If you want a robust system it has to be distributed and redundant. But that cuts into profits.
valerief
(53,235 posts)Igel
(35,383 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)Igel
(35,383 posts)bluedigger
(17,088 posts)rocktivity
(44,583 posts)rocktivity
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)uppityperson
(115,681 posts)heaven05
(18,124 posts)profits got hurt badly, so more people will lose their job.
FBaggins
(26,778 posts)They wouldn't have been able to get the contracts otherwise. The US companies know that the Indian grid is less than reliable.
Baclava
(12,047 posts)wordpix
(18,652 posts)Baclava
(12,047 posts)he's got it under control, I bet he can get you free cable AND internet access
MADem
(135,425 posts)Or maybe not--they floated that theory about the Big Blackout of Sixty Five, but later they said it was an urban legend.
Of course, that blackout didn't last days.
wordpix
(18,652 posts)Shades of what could happen here in the not-too-distant future
R. Daneel Olivaw
(12,606 posts)shawn703
(2,702 posts)To imagine a blackout affecting that many people.
Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)More than half of the largest country on the planet unable to function properly (or at all, depending on what's needed to do so), and in midsummer no less.
Naturally the reactions on this side of the pond boil down to people fretting about tech support, though. Ugh.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)profit is king
Missycim
(950 posts)Are you talking India's Power grid? its state run so I dont think profit is important.
talking about all the call centers. those places. all the corporate/tech stuff.
thelordofhell
(4,569 posts)brooklynite
(94,852 posts)You'd think the Indian PM would be looking for new work after a disaster affecting 60% of the nation's population.
progressivebydesign
(19,458 posts)They don't want to pay taxes in places that don't value infrastructure, and don't want to pay American workers.. then let them deal with massive power outages in their call centers and tech centers.
For all the money people like Bain, and Microsoft, and the banks , have sunk into India with our jobs and investments, you'd think they'd get their shit together over there.
Bring the damn jobs back to America.
valerief
(53,235 posts)nanabugg
(2,198 posts)using more than their fair share of utilities, water, land etc. You know, just like here in the US and everywhere else...history repeats.