A fire and explosion at a high-voltage electricity substation in Chinchwad disrupted power supply to about 310,000 customers across Pimpri-Chinchwad and parts of central Pune on Sunday, September 6, 2026. The outage also temporarily affected electricity supply to Pune Metro and several industrial areas.
The incident occurred at around 12.25 p.m. at the Mahatransco high-voltage substation in Chinchwad. According to information attributed to Mahatransco and Mahavitaran, a technical failure led to an explosion in a 22-kV current transformer and breaker, followed by a fire. The fire was brought under control, but the affected equipment sustained extensive damage.
The failure disrupted electricity supply in several Pimpri-Chinchwad areas, including Pradhikaran, Ravet, Kalewadi, Wakad, Pimple Gurav, Pimple Nilakh, Sangvi, Punawale and Tathawade. The interruption also extended to Shivajinagar, Aundh, Ganeshkhind, Senapati Bapat Road, Shivajinagar Gaothan, Model Colony and the Bal Gandharva area.
Mahavitaran said power supply to most affected areas was being restored through alternative routes while the damaged section remained shut. Supply in several parts of the Shivajinagar area was restored at about 1.50 p.m., after around one and a half hours of work, according to the utility’s account.
The outage affected approximately 260,000 customers in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Bhosari, while around 50,000 customers in Shivajinagar, Aundh, Ganeshkhind and adjoining areas were also affected. The combined impact was estimated at about 310,000 customers.
The Rahatani and Ganeshkhind feeders originating from the Chinchwad substation were affected by the failure. Electricity supply from the Ganeshkhind high-voltage substation to Pune Metro was also interrupted for a period, affecting the system’s operations. The supplied report did not provide a separate restoration timeline for Metro services.
Some areas in and around Nigdi, Yamunanagar, Bijalinagar, Ravet, Mamurdi, Dehu Road, Chinchwad, Tathawade and Wakad experienced a longer disruption. Mahavitaran estimated that about 125,000 customers in these areas were affected while restoration work continued.
The disruption also reached Talegaon and Ambethan. Mahavitaran restored electricity supply to residential consumers in Talegaon through an alternative route from Khopoli, but said technical difficulties remained in restoring industrial supply. Power supply to the Ambethan substation was restored at about 4.20 p.m.
The outage affected an estimated 1,500 industries in the Ambethan area. Mahatransco continued to keep the damaged portion of the Chinchwad substation isolated while working to restore the remaining network through alternate supply arrangements.
