As the blackout resulting from a fire that broke out at the 66 KV grid on Tajpur Road continued into Thursday, the power supply was disrupted at the central jail, 15,000 houses and 1,000 industrial units. The fire broke out around 5.15 pm on Wednesday evening and the supply is yet to be completely restored.
Officials said the blaze severely damaged two transformers, resulting in equipment losses amounting to nearly ₹7 crore.
Chief engineer Jagdev Singh Hans said the power supply to the central jail was restored by 11 pm on Wednesday on priority and domestic connections were provided power through six 11 KV feeders. He said the domestic connections were back by 2 am Thursday. Officials said efforts were underway to restore power to nearly 1,000 industrial units that were affected by the fire.
According to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials, the fire was triggered by a blast in the LV side bush of one of the transformers and quickly spread to another nearby transformer due to strong winds. Efforts to extinguish the fire continued until 3 am on Thursday, they added.
“We received a call at 5.20 pm and 10 to 12 fire tenders were dispatched to the scene. It took over seven hours to bring the blaze under control. Currently, one fire tender is on standby at the grid, ready to respond to any potential issues. The chances of any further incidents are slim,” said sub-fire officer Aatish Rai.
{{/usCountry}}“We received a call at 5.20 pm and 10 to 12 fire tenders were dispatched to the scene. It took over seven hours to bring the blaze under control. Currently, one fire tender is on standby at the grid, ready to respond to any potential issues. The chances of any further incidents are slim,” said sub-fire officer Aatish Rai.
{{/usCountry}}PSPCL director (distribution) DPS Grewal visited the site on Thursday to oversee the restoration work.
Grewal confirmed that the power to residential areas was restored through alternative sources late on Wednesday. He said the restoration of power to industrial units was being prioritised and was expected to be completed by Thursday night using alternative grids.
He said the affected grid will be brought back online in phases and assured one of the damaged transformers will be operational by Sunday. He added that the second transformer will be up and running by next Thursday and full power restoration is expected by the same time.
“Our teams are working around the clock to restore normal operations and minimise inconvenience to residents and industries,” Grewal said.