Power outage in several parts of Delhi after fire in UP’s Mandola substation; Atishi says ‘extremely worrying’

A power outage was reported in several parts of Delhi on Tuesday after a fire at a sub-station in Uttar Pradesh's Mandola. Delhi's minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi called it "extremely worrying" and sought time from the Union Power Minister and the chairman of Power Grid Corporation of India. The Mandola power station, where the fire broke out on Tuesday, is a major electricity provider for central, south and east Delhi and covers around 1200 MW of power for the national capital. 

"Delhi receives 1,200 MW of power from the Mandola sub-station, and therefore, many parts of Delhi have been affected. The power restoration process has begun, and electricity is now gradually returning to different areas," Atishi posted at 3:49 pm, adding this was a major failure in the national power grid. "I am seeking time with the central power minister and the chairman of PGCIL to ensure that such a situation is not repeated," she added.

The power outage in Delhi also impacted operations of some water treatment plants amid severe water shortage. The officials of the Delhi Jal Board said that the operations in four water treatment plans, including Wazirabad and Chandrawal, were impacted around 2:30pm but were "running normally after 3:30pm."

An official from the Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) explained the effect of the fire at the Mandola substation and said that the east Delhi area was worse affected. "Power comes from Dadri to Mandola before being supplied to parts of Delhi. This station mainly provides power to east Delhi, which has been the most impacted," the official said. 

Delhi's record power demand

The development came as most parts of Delhi are reeling under severe heatwave conditions, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) keeping its maximum forecast to be around 44°C on Tuesday. The intense heat has raised the power demand in Delhi, which is hovering above 7,000 MW and touched an all-time high of 8,302 MW on May 29.