Transformer explosion injures four during maintenance in Salmiya

What happened

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water said an explosion occurred at a main electrical transformer in Salmiya during periodical maintenance. The blast caused a fire and injured four people, and it led to a partial power outage nearby. Emergency teams and Kuwait firefighting teams brought the fire under control. The injured people were treated at Mubarak Al-Kabeer hospital. Power supply resumed later the same day. The Ministry said the facility was being checked to find the cause. The exact date, the station name and whether anyone died were not reported.

Contributing factors

The explosion happened during periodical maintenance. The technical cause was not reported; the Ministry said the site was still being examined.

Lessons learned

1. Maintenance on a main transformer needs a clear isolation and permit plan, because a blast can injure people on site and start a fire.
2. A transformer fire can cut power nearby, so operators should plan how to make the site safe and restore supply.
3. Until an investigation reports a cause, other operators should treat the failure mode as unknown.

Source

transformer-magazine.com