Energy Incident Register
Register / Grid infrastructure / EIR-1139
← Back to the list
Grid infrastructureIndiaEIR-1139

Transformer fire disrupts power to Bengaluru's central business district

Feb 2020Published 21 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectrical60 MW
Reported damageFrom the sourceHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersReported figure
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hiddenAsset hidden years old
Where
66 kV power station at Anand Rao Circle in Bengaluru
Operator
Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL)
What
20 MVA transformer caught fire after breaker failed to trip
Response
Fire and Emergency Services took over half an hour
Cause
Protection breaker system failed to trip

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Karnataka Power Transmission

What happened

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.

Contributing factors

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.

Lessons learned

  1. Protection breaker systems on transformers must be tested regularly so they trip under fault conditions and stop fire from starting.
  2. Transformers approaching 24 years old should be checked for replacement before faults lead to fire and spread.
  3. Substations serving critical loads need ready backup routes so supply can be switched quickly during failures.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, spacing, layout and fire spread, outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Exact cause of the initial fault
  • Transformer model and serial number
  • Duration of repairs and load shedding
  • Cost of damage and supply disruption

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

The Hindu (thehindu.com)

Published 2026-09-21. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

See the register's stories first in Google: add it as a preferred source.

Chart to reuse with this story: Grid infrastructure incidents in India, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Grid infrastructure incidents in India: 90 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Substation and transformer fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: switchgear and breaker fires.

Browse the full register or submit an incident.