Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, and Chakan MIDC Regain Power After 6-Hour Outage

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Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad experienced a challenging evening as a prolonged power outage lasting over six hours left approximately 355,000 residents and 5,000 industrial consumers without electricity. The affected areas endured severe disruptions, while rotational power cuts were implemented in Kothrud, Aundh, Baner, Balewadi, Bavdhan, Model Colony, and Pashan for an hour between 10 PM on May 18 and 3 AM on May 19.

During the investigation into the power outage, it was discovered that a high-tension overhead wire near Karanj Vihire had fallen onto another high-tension wire. Officials and engineers from Adani and the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL) promptly initiated efforts to address the issue.

The incident resulted in widespread power outages and impacted the transmission of several MSETCL substations, including the 400 KV Chakan, 220 KV Chinchwad, 220 KV Urse, 220 KV Chakan, and 132 KV Kharadi substations. The disrupted transmission, totaling 396 megawatts, severely affected areas such as Kharadi, Kalyani Nagar, Vadgaon Sheri, Yerwada, Dhanori, Pimpri Chinchwad, Punawale, Walhekarwadi, Wakad, Tathawade, Kiwale, Ravet, Thergaon, Pradhirakan in its entirety, and Akurdi (50% of the area). This power outage had a significant impact on 355,000 consumers and 5,000 industrial consumers.

Power supply restoration commenced in a phased manner around 1 AM and continued until 8:55 AM. While the power has been restored, residents remain concerned that a recurrence may transpire if the underlying issue is not fully resolved. Furthermore, residents expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the power utility’s infrastructure, citing the need for refurbishment of instruments, equipment, and cables at various locations, an aspect that has often been overlooked.

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) also faced criticism for its lack of proactive communication with residents regarding the power outage and its duration. This unanticipated event created severe difficulties for senior citizens, ailing patients, and businesses alike, highlighting the importance of timely updates and notifications from the power utility.

Efforts are underway to address the concerns raised by the residents and to ensure that the power infrastructure is revamped to prevent similar incidents in the future.