3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.

Major blackouts in recent years

Date and Time Country Affected Customers Causal Factors

load
Sept. 28, 2003 03:01 Italy ~28.000 MW ~ 60 Mio High imports of Italy;
transmission line faults in
Switzerland
Aug. 14, 2003 16:13 USA/ 61.800 MW ~ 50 Mio Transmission line faults;
Canada errors in SCADA/EMS
system
Aug. 10, 1996 15:42 USA 28.000 MW 7.5 Mio Transmission line faults;
system oscillations
July 2, 1996 13:24 USA 11.800 MW 2.0 Mio Transmission line faults;
errors in relay system
July 23, 1987 13:19 Japan 8.200 MW 2.8 Mio Steep raise in system
load; voltage collapse
Dec. 27, 1983 12:57 Sweden 11.400 MW ~ 4 Mio Busbar fault
Dec. 12, 1978 08:26 France ~29.000 MW 15.6 Mio Unexpected high load
Nov. 9, 1965 17:16 USA ~20.000 MW ~30.0 Mio Incorrect relay settings
Europe by night
Sunday, 28.09.2003,
Europe by night 3:30
3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.3

Content

Situation before outage

Impacts on Italy

Impacts on UCTE
3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.4

Situation before outage

Scheduled import to Italy 03:00 – 04:00: 6408 MW

Scheduled exchange programs 03:00 – 04:00

• Switzerland – Italy : 3068 MW

• France – Italy : 2650 MW

• Slovenia – Italy : 467 MW

• Austria – Italy : 223 MW

3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.5

Situation before outage

Load in Italy at 03:00

Customer load 24064 MW

Load pump storage 3638 MW
Total load 27702 MW

Physical import to Italy at 03:00: 6651 MW

Physical power flows at the border with Italy at 03:00

• Switzerland – Italy : 3610 MW

• France – Italy : 2212 MW

• Slovenia – Italy : 638 MW

• Austria – Italy : 191 MW

 3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.6
Switzerland
Mettlen Sils

Airolo Lavorgo Austria

Soazza
Robbia Lienz
Mörel
Riddes Gorduno
France Ponte
Sondrio
Soverzene
Mese Cislago
Avise Pallan. Divaca
Redipuglia
Albertville Valpelline
Musig. Bulciago
Slovenia
Padriciano
La Coche
Rondissone
Praz
Villarodin Venaus

Le Broc-Carros Camporosso
3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.7

Sequence of events
 03:01:42 First line tripping: Lavorgo-Mettlen 400 kV;
Single phase to ground fault
 03:10:47 Phone conversation between ETRANS and GRTN
to Request to reduce the Italian import
03:21:00
 03:25:21 Second line tripping: Sils-Soazza 400 kV;
Single phase to ground fault
 03:25:25 Third line tripping: Airolo-Mettlen 220 kV
Overcurrent protection
 03:25:27 Fourth and fifth line trippings: Riddes-Avise-Valpelline 220 kV
and Sondrio-Cislago 220 kV
 03:25:30 Sixth line tripping: Albertville-Rondissone; No. 1; 400 kV
 03:25:32 Seventh line tripping: Praz-La Coche 400 kV
 03:25:33 Eighth line tripping: Albertville-Rondissone; No. 2; 400 kV
 03:25:33 Ninth line tripping: Le Broc-Carros-Camporosso 220 kV
 03:25:34 Tenth line tripping: Lienz-Soverzene 220 kV
Complete separation of the Italian grid
 3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.8

Frequency in Italy (09/28/2003)

frequency
(Rome) Soazza-Sils Separation from Loss of all power
50.500 Outage European grid plants operating at
distribution grid
50.000 ~1.700 MW

49.500

49.000 Loss of 21 out of 50 main units before

the critical threshold ~3.700 MW
48.500
automatic pumping
shedding ~3500 MW
Hz

48.000
47,50

47.500
critical Definitiv
threshold Black-out
47.000 Load shedding (EAC) equal to ~600 MW
each (–0,1 Hz) frequency loss; ~7.000 MW
46.500

46.000

45.500

03:27:51
03:27:37
03:27:44

03:27:58
03:25:24
03:25:31
03:25:38
03:25:45
03:25:52
03:25:59
03:26:06
03:26:13
03:26:20
03:26:27
03:26:34
03:26:41
03:26:48
03:26:55
03:27:02

03:27:16

03:27:30
03:24:00
03:24:07
03:24:14
03:24:21
03:24:28
03:24:35
03:24:42
03:24:49
03:24:56
03:25:03
03:25:10
03:25:17

03:27:09

03:27:23
hour
3:25 ~2,5 minutes 3:28
3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.9

Restoration – North Italy

MW
14000

12000

10000

8000
Not supplied difference
6000
Energy ~ 37 GWh planned
actual value
4000

2000

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
-2000
time
 3.3.10

Restoration – Middle Italy

MW

6000

Not supplied
5000
Energy ~ 42 GWh
4000

3000
difference
2000 planned
actual value
1000

-1000 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 time
3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.11

Restoration – South Italy

MW

3000
Not supplied
Energy ~ 21 GWh

2000

difference
1000
planned
actual value

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

time
-1000
3.3 Examples of large disturbances 3.3.12

Frequency in UCTE system on Su 28-09-2003 03:00 - 05:00

50.3

Hz

50.2

50.15

50.1

50.05

50

49.95
03:00:00 03:14:24 03:28:48 03:43:12 03:57:36 04:12:00 04:26:24 04:40:48 04:55:12