Fire damages Aminbazar grid substation; power restored in some areas
Five-member committee formed by Power Grid Bangladesh to look into the cause of the fire and given three days to submit report
A fire severely damaged the Aminbazar 400/230 kV substation run by Power Grid Bangladesh PLC in Savar, on the outskirts of the capital, this morning (11 March).
The electricity supply was cut off from Aminbazar to Shimultala in Savar at 7:15am, when the fire had started.
However, power supply was restored to some areas by 10:30am after nine firefighting units doused the flames within two hours.
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"Power supply has been restored partially in some areas. But load shedding will continue for some time," said Sizan Ahmed, assistant general manager (operation and maintenance) of Palli Bidyut Samiti-3.
He said the substation is currently supplying 120 megawatts of electricity, compared to its normal capacity of up to 180 megawatts.
"Power supply was suspended from 7:15am in areas including Aminbazar, BSCIC Tannery Industrial Estate at Hemayetpur, and up to the Shimultala area in Savar due to the fire," Sizan added.
After the fire was reported, nine firefighting units rushed to the scene at around 7:20am and managed to bring the flames under control by around 9:15am, said Md Anwarul Islam, inspector (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence.
The immediate cause of the fire and the extent of damage could not be determined at the time, he said.
Meanwhile, Power Grid Bangladesh has formed a five-member committee headed by its Chief Engineer (System Operation) BM Mizanul Hasan to look into the cause of the fire.
Talking to The Business Standard, Mizanul said they suspect some kind of mechanical failure may have caused the fire. "We will submit our report in three days."
"It's a big substation that is interconnected with the national grid. It supplies power to some central Dhaka areas including Mirpur and Kalyanpur, Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur's Kaliakair," he said.
Power supply through the substation has almost been restored, he added.
Earlier, a high-powered team led by Power Grid Managing Director Abdur Rashid Khan had rushed to the spot and is currently there to oversee the restoration activities.
