CHENNAI: The International Energy Agency has cautioned economies across the globe against blackouts , which can worsen the global crisis triggered by Covid-19 outbreak.Strong confinement measures have resulted in electricity demand dropping by around 15% in many countries, largely as a result of factories and businesses halting operations. Hyundai factory on the outskirts of Chennai, for instance, has shut shop temporarily. The decline in electricity demand, while rendering the power generation capacity abundant, also deprives the system of its balancing capability. Unless a fine balance is struck between power demand and supply, systems could fail.If conventional thinking is that power outages happen only when demand overwhelms supply, some of the most high-profile blackouts in recent times took place during periods of low demand, cautioned IEA The disruption caused by the virus has underlined how much modern society relies on electricity. In such an unsettling and rapidly evolving situation, power is critical for treating soaring numbers of sick reporting at hospitals.Ventilators cannot run without power. Power is also critical for keeping the channels of communication live between governments and citizens and doctors and patients.People are also getting increasingly dependent on digital technology. With millions of people confined to their homes, doing teleworking and e-shopping, streaming video platforms for entertainment and powering devices like refrigerators, lights, ACs, fans and washing machines, reliable power supply is a pre-requisite for life to move on. But ensuring that security requires actions from governments, said Fatih Birol, executive director of IEA.It could turn for the worse if the disease spreads rapidly in African countries, where millions live without any access to electricity, he said.Electricity networks are far more vulnerable than pipelines to extreme weather – a vital consideration for policy makers as they plan for increasingly electrified energy systems. The long-term task is to make networks tougher by investing in underground cables and decentralised storage – and by designing network layouts that are resilient to emergency situations such as hurricanes and floods, said Birol.Governments need to also lay focus on human capital to keep electricity systems safe. Safety of skilled personnel like workers and engineers involved in network maintenance is paramount as repair is labour-intensive and needs on-site attention.Governments are rightly focused on the immediate public health emergency, but they have to remain vigilant on electricity security and safeguard vital assets amid the extreme volatility in markets. “In these extraordinary times, we can manage without many things, but we can’t manage without electricity,” said Birol.