Transformer fire shuts Noida substation, third such BHEL failure

A 500 MVA transformer at the Sector 148 substation of UP Power Transmission Corporation Limited (UPPTCL) in Noida caught fire early on a Wednesday morning in August 2020. Seven to eight fire tenders were sent initially, and the district chief fire officer said around 12 fire tenders and more than two hours were needed to bring the fire fully under control. Hot oil and flames from the first transformer had already reached a second transformer standing next to it by the time crews arrived. The transformer was reported to be completely burnt and needing replacement, expected to take more than a month. The substation, made operational in 2019, supplied part of the power to a metro line at Sector 148, a 220 kV substation at Sector 129 and a 440 MVA substation in Greater Noida. Supply to the affected areas was rerouted through an alternate line, and no disruption to consumers was reported. The article stated this was the third transformer supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to catch fire with a similar internal technical fault, the others being in Lucknow about a week earlier and in Sarnath the previous year. The transformer was reported to have cost around Rs 12 to 15 crore and to be within its guarantee period, with replacement to be provided by the manufacturer.

The fire was attributed in reporting to an internal technical fault in the transformer, said to be the third such failure in transformers of this type from the same manufacturer. No formal investigation outcome was reported. Fire spread to an adjacent transformer through hot oil and flames.

1. Recurring internal faults in the same transformer type across multiple sites should trigger a fleet wide inspection and root cause investigation by the manufacturer and the operator.
2. Adjacent transformers should be separated or protected so that burning oil and flames from one unit cannot involve the next.
3. Maintaining alternate supply routes allows continuity of service to customers even when a major transformer is lost for an extended period.

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