4 injured in Odisha hydropower station fire, ₹2 crore equipment damaged: Official

Four persons were injured after a fire broke out at the 120 MW Machhkund Hydroelectric Power Project in Odisha’s Koraput district on Friday afternoon, disrupting power generation and damaging equipment worth over ₹2 crore, with officials saying on Sunday that it may take at least six months for the hydel unit to resume operations.

The blaze, suspected to have been triggered by the bursting of a Current Transformer (CT) connected to a 2.5 MVA, 11/0.4 kV transformer outside the powerhouse, spread rapidly through cable networks and engulfed sections of the ageing hydroelectric facility at Machhkund under Lamtaput block.

No casualties were reported, though four workers sustained minor injuries and are undergoing treatment, officials said.

Project authorities said the blaze also affected two turbines and critical operational infrastructure.

“The fire first broke out near the vacuum circuit breaker and spread through the cables to the powerhouse. All operators present at the station were evacuated safely and there was no loss of life,” a senior project official said.

Employees at the site said panic spread across the station after a sudden loud explosion was heard from the control room area.

Firefighters from the Lamtaput and Nandapur fire stations were deployed after receiving information about the incident. Fire personnel battled the flames for over two hours before bringing the situation under control.

At the time of the fire, all six generating units of the hydropower station were operational. Authorities said the units were immediately and safely shut down to prevent further damage, resulting in a complete suspension of electricity generation.

The outage is expected to affect power supply in nearby areas, with local reports indicating that around 40 villages may face temporary disruptions until operations resume.

Officials estimated the preliminary loss to property and equipment at more than ₹2 crore, though a detailed assessment is still underway.

The incident has renewed concerns over safety and maintenance at the decades-old hydropower station, where a similar fire incident occurred in 2007. Officials acknowledged that the ageing infrastructure requires periodic upgrades and inspections.

“The project is old and maintenance is crucial. We are assessing the extent of the damage and efforts are underway to restore power generation at the earliest,” an official associated with the project said.

The Machhkund Hydroelectric Power Project, jointly owned by the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh governments under a 50:50 arrangement, is operated and administered by the Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO). Under the agreement, both states share the electricity generated as well as maintenance costs equally.