SUKKUR/RAHIM YAR KHAN: Several towns and cities across Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan experienced power outages late Saturday and Sunday night after a blast in the switchyard at the Guddu Thermal Power Plant, reportedly caused by technical faults amplified by dense fog in the area.

An official at the power plant — located in the Guddu town of Sindh’s Kashmore district, which borders Punjab and Balochistan — said the blast led to a large fire, resulting in the tripping of three 500-kilovolt high transmission lines within the switchyard, supplying power supply to many cities.

The blast and its flash were heard and seen from a distance. Firefighting teams were deployed and managed to control the blaze after an hour, following which technical teams started repair work to restore power immediately.

Sources said the affected cities included D.G. Khan, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab; Kashmore, Kandhkot, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Larkana and Sukkur in Sindh; and Jafarabad, Nasirabad, Usta Muhammad, Sohbatpur, Bolan and Sibi in Balochistan.

Technical faults trigger blast and fire at Guddu power plant, leading to outages in several cities

Some 12 hours later, power from Muzaffargarh was partially restored to the affected transmission lines, but many areas remained without electricity.

Officials said that technical teams have been working on repairs since extinguishing the fire. Power from the plant was being rerouted and full restoration was expected as soon as repairs were completed.

Sources told Dawn that 124 MW of power had been restored from the old Guddu plant but cautioned that complete power restoration might be delayed due to the early onset of fog in the evening.

A spokesman for the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) explained that dense fog led to the tripping of 500 kV and 220 kV transmission lines near Guddu. One pole of a 500 kV circuit breaker was damaged and isolated from the system for safety. The switchyard had been re-energised, and the damaged part was being urgently replaced, he said.

Published in Dawn, january 1st, 2024