UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — AI data-centre boom puts power grid under pressure

Q1. With reference to the load despatch architecture under the Electricity Act, 2003, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A dispute over a direction issued by a Regional Load Despatch Centre for the integrated operation of the regional grid is referred to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.
  2. A dispute over a direction issued by a State Load Despatch Centre for the security of the intra-State grid is also referred to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, since grid security is a national concern.
  3. A State Load Despatch Centre is barred from engaging in the business of trading in electricity.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. Electricity is a subject in the Concurrent List. Suppose a State Legislature passes a law under which the State's load despatch centre need not follow certain directions issued under the Electricity Act, 2003, a law Parliament made earlier. In this context, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. If the State law is not reserved for the President's consideration, its conflicting provision is void to the extent of the repugnancy.
  2. If the State law is reserved for the consideration of the President and receives assent, it can prevail in that State.
  3. Once the State law has received Presidential assent, Parliament cannot later amend or repeal the State provision on that matter.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Suppose a large cluster of AI data centres connected to India's synchronous national grid suddenly raises its power draw, and generation does not respond immediately. Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. System frequency would tend to fall below its nominal value.
  2. The frequency deviation would be felt across the synchronous grid, not only in the State where the data centres are located.
  3. System frequency would tend to rise, because the extra load draws energy from generator rotors and speeds them up.
  4. Fast-responding resources such as battery storage could help limit the deviation by injecting power quickly.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Since the Southern regional grid was synchronised with the rest of India's grid at the end of 2013, a sudden loss of a large generating unit in the Southern region can lower the frequency seen by consumers in the Northern region.
  2. In a synchronous grid, all interconnected generators rotate in step at one common frequency, so an imbalance at any point affects the frequency of the whole interconnected system.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A State Load Despatch Centre, although the apex body for integrated operation of the State's power system, must comply with the directions of the Regional Load Despatch Centre.
  2. State Load Despatch Centres are operated by Grid Controller of India Ltd., the same company that operates the Regional Load Despatch Centres.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q6. With reference to the SCADA/EMS systems used at load despatch centres, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. SCADA mainly collects real-time telemetry from substations and generating stations and lets control-room operators send remote commands.
  2. An EMS is a field device at substations that physically trips circuit breakers when a fault occurs, independently of the control centre.
  3. Because SCADA/EMS is largely a software system, the cost of upgrading it is insulated from global demand for servers and semiconductors.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q7. Expanding the inter-regional transfer capacity of a single synchronous national grid helps a country integrate variable renewable energy mainly because

  • A. it isolates each region electrically at its boundary, so that renewable fluctuations remain confined to the region of origin.
  • B. it raises the nominal frequency of the grid, allowing generators to absorb larger swings in renewable output without tripping.
  • C. it lets surplus solar or wind output in resource-rich regions meet demand in other regions, evening out local variability.
  • D. it allows States to dispense with their own load despatch centres, since all scheduling shifts to a single national centre.

Q8. With reference to how the cost of grid upgrades driven by the growth of AI data centres is recovered in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Approved capital costs of a transmission-system upgrade are recovered from network users only gradually, over the asset's useful life, rather than as a single upfront charge.
  2. Because transmission charges are pooled across users of the network, consumers who use no data-centre services may still bear part of the cost of upgrades.
  3. A rise in global prices of grid-control hardware can raise transmission charges even for consumers whose own electricity use has not changed.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only