A black start is the recovery of a grid, or part of one, after a complete blackout using units with their own starting means, typically hydro plants, gas turbines with diesel starters or battery-backed sites. Operators energise a skeleton network step by step, pick up load in small blocks to hold frequency, then synchronise the islands back together. Black-start capability is a contracted service, and restoration plans are rehearsed because transformer inrush and cold-load pickup make the first hours delicate.
If the whole north goes dark, Falls Creek hydro is our black start unit and it energises the 132 kV ring first.
Also heard as
- blackstart
Related terms
Islanding
Condition where part of a network stays energised by local generation after being cut off from the main grid.
Load shedding
Deliberate disconnection of blocks of customer load to stop frequency or voltage from collapsing.
Inrush current
Large transient current drawn when a transformer, motor or capacitive load is first switched on.
Dead bus
Busbar with no voltage on it, the condition that lets a breaker close without synchronising checks.