According to chief of the hydropower station Krishna Prasad Yadav, a fire that broke out at 11: 43 pm destroyed three transformers. [break]
The fire broke out due to the high voltage current. He said the fire damaged property worth Rs 500 million. He also said that a detailed technical examination is being carried out to calculate the loss due to fire. “We will complete the examination within the next five days.”
Ten minutes after the fire outbreak, a fire engine from Heutada reached the site to douse the fire. It took nearly two hours for the fire engine, security personnel and the locals to bring the fire under control. “We could prevent fire outbreak in the power house as the fire was brought under control within two hours,” reported Ramesh Tiwari, engineer at the power station.
The power station was generating 4.5 megawatts of electricity -- much less than its capacity -- when the fire broke out, said Yadav, adding, “We are surprised that the transformer caught fire due to the high voltage current.”
He also said the hydropower station will decide whether to replace the damaged transformers or repair them after examining the damage. “It may take more than six months to repair the transformers. The cost of installing new transformers may exceed Rs 30 million.”
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