Explosion, Fire at MSETCL Substation Disrupt Power Supply in Pimpri-Chinchwad

An explosion and fire broke out at the substation of the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL) on Sunday. Power was cut in many areas of Pimpri-Chinchwad because of the fire.

An explosion occurred in the current transformer and breaker of the 220-kV substation around 12:25 PM. After the explosion, there was a large fireball at the substation. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Fire Brigade had to use a number of fire tenders to put out the fire.

Pimpri-Chinchwad Areas Hit by Power Failure

Several areas of Pimpri-Chinchwad were affected by the power failure caused by the explosion, including Sangvi, Punawale, Tathawade, Pimple Gurav, Pimple Nilakh, Pradhikaran, Ravet, Kalewadi, and Wakad. Officials from MSETCL and MSEDCL have started working on the restoration of power supply. According to the press release of MSEDCL,

"MSETCL officials are working to isolate the affected portion of the substation and restore operations in the rest."

In the meantime, MSEDCL representatives are making every effort to re-establish supplies to impacted areas via alternate methods. One important transmission facility that supplies power to the distribution infrastructure in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area is the 220-kV Chinchwad substation.

The cause of the blast and the amount of equipment damage are still unknown. According to officials, the evaluation of the impacted equipment will determine the extent of any repair work.