3.1 lakh without power in Pune after explosion, fire at electricity substation

A fire triggered by a transformer explosion at the Chinchwad substation disrupted power across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad on Sunday. The outage hit lakhs of consumers, briefly affected Metro supply and delayed restoration in several pockets.Pune Metro services were also affected due to the power outage on Sunday. A technical fault and a fire at a Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited substation on Sunday afternoon disrupted power supply to large parts of Pimpri-Chinchwad and some areas of Pune, affecting around 3.10 lakh consumers, officials said. While most of the supply has been restored, some areas continued without power. The disruption also briefly affected Pune Metro supply from the Ganeshkhind extra high voltage substation. MahaVitaran said power was restored in phases through alternative routes, though some areas continued to face delays because of load constraints.Officials said the fire broke out at around 12.25 pm after an explosion in a 22-kV current transformer and breaker unit at the MSETCL facility in Chinchwad. The blaze was brought under control and no casualties were reported. The fault hit high-voltage lines feeding Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, leading to outages across several parts of Pimpri-Chinchwad.An official said, "Power supply to Shivajinagar, Aundh, Ganeshkhind and adjoining areas, which was disrupted at 12.25 pm, was restored by around 1.50 pm. Most affected areas were restored by 3 pm using alternative feeders." MahaVitaran said around 2.60 lakh consumers in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Bhosari, and about 50,000 consumers in Shivajinagar, Aundh, Ganeshkhind, S B Road, Model Colony and Balgandharva areas were affected.The company said restoration in Nigdi, Yamunanagar, Bijlinagar, Ravet, Mamurdi, Dehu Road, Chinchwad, Tathawade, Wakad and adjoining areas, covering around 1.25 lakh consumers, was delayed because of load constraints. The fault also affected the Ambetan (Chakan) and Talegaon 132 kV substations. Supply to Talegaon town was restored through an alternative line from Khopoli for domestic consumers, though industrial supply faced technical limitations. Supply to the Ambetan substation, which tripped at 12.25 pm, was restored at 4.20 pm. Officials said around 1,500 industrial consumers in the area were affected.MahaTransco said work to isolate the faulty bay and restore the remaining system was under way on a war footing, while MahaVitaran said efforts were continuing to normalise supply in the remaining affected pockets.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 7, 2026 06:57 IST