Massive electricity outage in Delhi, Atishi blames UP power station’s failure

Delhi Power Minister Atishi announced on Tuesday that a fire at a sub-station of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) in Mandola, Uttar Pradesh, led to a power outage affecting many parts of the national capital.

In a post on X, Atishi stated that she is seeking a meeting with the Union Power Minister and the Chairman of PGCIL to prevent such incidents in the future.

“There has been a power outage in many parts of Delhi since 2:11 pm due to a fire at a PGCIL sub-station in Mandola, UP. Delhi receives 1,200 MW of power from this sub-station, which is why many areas have been impacted. The power restoration process has started, and electricity is gradually being restored to different areas.”

“However, this major failure in the national power grid is extremely worrying. I am seeking a meeting with the Central Power Minister and the Chairman of PGCIL to ensure that such a situation does not recur,” she said in the post.

In a press conference, Atishi said, “A fire broke out at a PGCIL sub-station in Mandola, Uttar Pradesh, which supplies 1,500 MW of power to Delhi. As a result, many parts of Delhi experienced a power cut.”.

“I will seek an appointment with the new Union Power Minister today since the country’s power transmission is run by the central government,” she added.

Atishi, criticising the Centre over the lapse, stated, “It is worrying that the national-level power infrastructure has come to a standstill today. The failure of the national grid in the country’s capital is quite concerning. There was no power cut even when Delhi’s peak power demand reached 8,000 MW. This power cut happened due to the failure of the national infrastructure.”

An intense and unprecedented heatwave has been sweeping Delhi for nearly a month now with temperatures soaring north of 50 degrees Celsius on some days. The India Meteorological Department has predicted that heatwave conditions will prevail in most parts of the city.