Transformer fire disrupts power to Bengaluru's central business district

A fire broke out at the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) 66 kV power station at Anand Rao Circle in Bengaluru. A 20 MVA transformer developed a fault and caught fire after its breaker system failed to trip, and the blaze spread to an adjacent transformer. Fire and Emergency Services took over half an hour to bring the fire under control. Power supply to several areas of the Central Business District, including Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha government buildings, was affected during an ongoing legislative session. Supply to Vidhana Soudha was quickly switched to another substation. The two affected transformers, which together carried around 60 MW, were taken out of service for repair or scrapping, with load temporarily redistributed from other stations and short periods of load-shedding expected until a replacement transformer was installed.

A protection breaker system reportedly failed to trip when the fault occurred, allowing the fire to develop and spread to a neighbouring transformer. The failed transformer was around 24 years old.

1. Protection and breaker systems on ageing transformers should be regularly tested to ensure they trip correctly under fault conditions.
2. Utilities should plan proactive replacement of transformers approaching or exceeding typical service life.
3. Substations serving critical loads should maintain readily available backup routing to limit disruption during equipment failures.

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