Electrical substation in Shah Alam reported to explode during flooding

Dec 2021Published 25 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectricalProvisional

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From the recordRoot cause

Where: Glenmarie electricity substation, Glenmarie, Shah Alam
What: Large ball of fire and several explosions during flooding
Cause: Not reported
Outcome: Blackouts across Shah Alam

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What happened

On the night of 18 December 2021, video shared online was reported to show a main electrical substation in Glenmarie, Shah Alam, exploding during flash flooding, with a large fireball and further explosions. A separate social media report said the Glenmarie electricity substation had exploded and was believed to have contributed to blackouts across Shah Alam. The outlet that carried both accounts said there was still no official confirmation, and the extent of any damage was not reported. The reports came during worsening floods in Selangor.

Contributing factors

Flash flooding was alleged in the video account. No official cause has been confirmed.

Lessons learned

Substations in flood-prone areas need protection and, where practicable, elevated electrical equipment.
During widespread flooding, operators should be ready to confirm or deny viral reports so the public is not left without official information.
Outage attribution should wait for operator confirmation when the only accounts are video and social media reports.

More lessons on weather and external hazards, outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Cause of the explosion
Confirmation from Tenaga Nasional Berhad
Duration and cost of the blackouts

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Source

therakyatpost.com

Published 2026-09-25. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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