Major fire at NTPS unit in Vijayawada

Vijayawada,Oct 26: Property worth Rs 15 crore was destroyed in a fire accident at the Narlatatarao Thermal Power Station (NTPS) on the city outskirts early Monday morning. However, there was no loss of human life.Fire brigade staff stationed on NTPS premises quickly swung into action and prevented a major explosion and irreparable damage. The entire APSEB machinery was geared up to meet any further crisis.Fire broke out in the 500 MVA generator transformer of Unit VII of the NTPS due to the high pressure built up inside. The high pressure pushed out one of the three ``bushings'' with a great force causing a blast. Oil inside the transformer sparked a major fire, the second ever at the NTPS.

Firemen first used foam to put off the flames and later water cannons to bring down the temperature in the burning transformer.According to NTPS Chief Engineer Anjaneyulu Rao, the transformer was supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and the quality of equipment supplied to NTPS would be checked with experts.He said that new equipment would be installed within 15 days at a cost of Rs 12 crore for restoring power generation.He said that the overall power generation in the State would not be affected despite shutting down of Unit VII which generates 500 million units per day.AP Genco Director Radha Krishna said that the there may be something wrong with the transformer supplied by BHEL. It will be opened tomorrow to assess the exact cause of damage.