KARACHI/HYDERABAD: As the mercury rose to 40 degree Celsius in the city on Wednesday, the fragile transmission system of the K-Electric collapsed piling miseries on people, most of them staying outdoors for hours to beat the sizzling weather.

A technical fault in 500kV grid station of the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) was said to be the main cause of the prolonged outage not only in the metropolis but also in 12 districts of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco).

Some reports suggested that the sizzling weather increased the demand of electricity that led to power failure as the power utility’s transmission system could not cope with the increased load.

The power breakdown also led to a water shortage in Karachi as the power supply to Dhabeji, Gharo and Pipri pumping stations was suspended as well.

80pc Karachi without power

Almost 80 per cent of the city remained without power in the afternoon and the electricity was not restored till late in a number of areas including Malir, Landhi, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B. Area, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Surjani Town, North Karachi, New Karachi, Saddar, Lyari, Defence and Clifton.

Hyderabad and 11 other Sindh districts face hours-long outages due to fault at NTDC grid near Jamshoro

Residents of several localities called Dawn offices to inform that the power supply was disrupted between 4.10pm to 4.20pm. Many of them said that the electricity was not restored in their areas till 8pm.

KE sources said that over 1,400, out of total 1,900, feeders in the city tripped.

The KE said tripping in the EHT transmission line caused a disconnection between the power utility and NTDC circuits. This tripping was caused by a lightning strike on the NTDC’s 220kV Jamshoro circuit, it said.

A KE spokesperson said: “Our connection with the NTDC has been completely restored. Power supply to major parts of the city has also been completely reinstated. We are gradually energising feeders in various localities. Reports of sporadic rain across the city also slowed our progress as we had to initiate our safety protocols.”

Breakdown in Hyderabad, other districts

Power supply to 12 districts of Hesco was affected due to the technical fault in 500kV grid station of NTDC.

Hesco spokesman Sadiq Kubar confirmed that the fault at the NTDC’s grid had led to the electricity breakdown in the entire Hesco region that mainly covers all lower Sindh districts right from Hyderabad to Tharparkar.

Rains coupled with speedy winds caused the tripping at 4.10pm at the grid station. It caused discontinuation of electricity to two circuits of Tando Mohammad Khan and Hala Naka grid stations. Four circuits supplying electricity to KE were also affected.

Hesco’s 71 grid stations, out of 78, remained without electricity for several hours.

“The fault basically developed in the yard of 500kV in [one of] the system’s isolators that caused disruption in the power supply,” the Hesco spokesman said.

“We supply electricity through 11kV transmission lines that emanate from our 132kV grid stations,” he explained, adding that 61 grid stations were energised at 6.49pm.

At around 10pm the entire system of Hesco was working, he claimed.

However, fluctuations continued till late in the night in various parts of Hyderabad. Complaints were received that electric supply could not be restored in various areas. The Hesco spokesman said it was because of loadshedding plan of the power utility.

The NTDC manages 500kV and 220kV grid stations that supply power to distribution companies of the Water and Power Development Authority. The distribution companies manage their 132kV grid stations which are fed by NTDC’s above-mentioned two systems.

Earlier on June 30, 2020 a huge electricity spark in the NTDC’s grid station — located at a small distance from Jamshoro Thermal Power House — had disrupted electric supply to 13 districts of lower Sindh falling in the Hesco jurisdiction.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2021