Black start

A black start is the process of restoring an electric power station or a part of an electric grid to operation without relying on the external electric power transmission network to recover from a total or partial shutdown.

Power to restart a generating station may come from an on-site standby generator. Alternatively, where a large amount of power is required, a tie-line to another generating plant may be used to start the facility. Once the main generating units are running, the electrical transmission network can be re-connected and electrical loads restored.

Black-start power may be ensured by an agreement where a particular energy supplier is paid to make black start power available when required. Not all generating plants are suitable for providing black-start power to a network.