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Grid infrastructureIndiaEIR-1658

Transformer fire at Old RPH station causes Kanpur outage

Jan 2026Published 30 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fireProvisional10 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 recordFailed part hidden

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

What happened

On 29 January 2026, The Times of India reported that a fire broke out in a 10 MVA power transformer at Old RPH power station in Kanpur, causing a power outage in several areas. The transformer burst into flames. Power station staff began trying to control the fire with on-site fire safety equipment, and a fire department team also attended. There were no reports of casualties. KESCO was reported to estimate the loss at about Rs 90 lakh. Repair work and efforts to restore supply in limited areas through alternative arrangements were reported to be under way, and an investigation was said to have been ordered.

Lessons learned

  1. A transformer fire at a power station needs a prompt on-site response and fire service attendance while the cause is still unknown.
  2. Alternative supply arrangements can restore power to some areas while a damaged transformer is repaired.
  3. An ordered investigation should establish the cause before operators draw conclusions about the failure.

More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, outages, backup supply and restoration, investigation and fleet-wide checks, from every incident on the register.

Source

The Times of India (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Other entries that name Kanpur

Published 2026-09-30. 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 India, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

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

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