Special Correspondent
Pune – A fault in the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company’s (Mahatransco) high-voltage Rahatani 132 kV substation led to cyclical load shedding in Pimple Saudagar, Sangvi, and Rahatani areas between midnight and early morning hours. Electricity was cut in rotation for durations ranging from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.
The outage began after smoke was detected late at night from a 50 MVA current transformer at the Rahatani 132/22 kV substation. Upon inspection, engineers found the transformer needed immediate replacement. The replacement process required shutting down 22 kV electricity lines managed by MSEDCL (Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd), resulting in a shortfall of 22 MW in power supply. Efforts were made to restore power through alternate sources, but due to high electricity demand caused by the night’s humidity, the supply could not be stabilized. As a result, areas including Pimple Saudagar, Sangvi, Rahatani, Kalewadi, Vishal Nagar, and Kaspthevasti experienced rotational load shedding between 12:03 AM and 2:58 AM.
Additionally, at around 12:33 PM today, tripping occurred on Mahatransco’s 220 kV high-voltage Kandalgaon tower line, affecting 13 power lines of 33 kV capacity. This caused a power outage for around 66,200 consumers, including 200 IT companies in Hinjewadi and residential and commercial users in Hinjewadi and Wakad. The supply was restored by 1:10 PM.