When facing a voltage collapse situation, what action should operating personnel take first?

In a voltage collapse situation, the primary objective of operating personnel is to stabilize the electrical system as quickly as possible to prevent widespread outages and maintain system reliability. Shedding firm load is often the most immediate and effective response to manage the situation.

When the network experiences instability due to low voltage conditions, reducing the overall demand on the system through load shedding can help balance the power system and restore voltage levels. By lowering the load, system operators decrease the pressure on generation and transmission resources, allowing the remaining parts of the system to recover. This action is crucial in conditions where voltage levels are not sustainable and can lead to cascading failures if not managed swiftly.

In contrast, increasing generation or deploying additional reactive resources can take time to implement or may not be effective in a critical situation where demand significantly exceeds supply. Alerting maintenance teams is important for long-term stability and planning but does not address the immediate crisis of voltage collapse effectively. Thus, shedding firm load is a direct and prompt method to stabilize the system under these circumstances.