Switchyard circuit breaker fails and catches fire at Santee Cooper Jeffries Hydroelectric station

What happened

According to Santee Cooper officials quoted by WCBD News 2, a switchyard circuit breaker at the Santee Cooper Jeffries Hydroelectric station, off Power House Road in Moncks Corner, Berkeley County, South Carolina, failed and caught fire at about 10:00 am on Monday 31 January 2022. An employee who was nearby sustained a minor injury, was treated on site and returned to work. No one else was injured. Crews from the Santee Circle and Moncks Corner fire departments responded and put the fire out. The report did not say why the breaker failed, what type it was, how much damage there was, or whether generation or supply was affected.

Contributing factors

Santee Cooper said the switchyard circuit breaker failed and caught fire. The reason for the failure was not reported.

Lessons learned

1. An unexplained switchyard breaker fire, even a small one, should prompt a check of similar equipment before a cause is assumed.
2. People working near energised switchyard equipment can be hurt by a failure even if they are only nearby, so access control and a ready response matter.
3. Early reports often omit cause, damage and any effect on supply, so those points should be confirmed before conclusions are drawn.

Source

counton2.com