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Grid infrastructureBangladeshEIR-1342

Breaker explosion at Chaumuhani grid substation disrupts power in Noakhali

Sept 2026Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectricalProvisional
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supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hidden
Where
Chaumuhani grid substation in Begumganj, Noakhali
Operator
Bangladesh Power Development Board
What
33 kV source breaker damaged in explosion and caught fire
Cause
Not reported
Outcome
Cut supply to Maijdi substation and caused rotating outages

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Bangladesh Power Development Board

What happened

A 33 kV source breaker at the Chaumuhani grid substation in Begumganj, Noakhali, was damaged in an explosion at around 8:30 pm on a Friday, as reported on 27 September 2026. The breaker caught fire and shut down the 33 kV line from Chaumuhani to Maijdi, cutting power to Maijdi, the district town, and surrounding areas. An alternative ring circuit was reported to be supplying about 10 MW against demand of about 20 MW.

In the area under the Bangladesh Power Development Board in Maijdi, about 10 MW was supplied against demand of 22 to 25 MW, with supply rotated by area for about an hour at a time until the breaker could be replaced.

Contributing factors

The local utility reported that the pole of the 33 kV source breaker was damaged and broken. Rain was reported to have slightly disrupted repair work. The cause of the explosion was not otherwise reported.

Lessons learned

  1. Keep replacement 33 kV breakers available so a failed source breaker can be changed without a long outage.
  2. Check that ring-circuit capacity covers peak demand, so a single breaker failure does not force wide rotational cuts.
  3. Plan breaker replacement with allowance for weather delaying the work.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, weather and external hazards, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Exact cause of the explosion
  • Breaker model and age
  • When supply was fully restored
  • Cost of the damage and repair

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

Source

dailycountrytodaybd.com

Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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

Grid infrastructure incidents in Bangladesh: 19 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.

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