Sanquelim, Valpoi without power supply for 12 hours after blast at Amona substation

Panaji/Bicholim: Several areas in Sanquelim and Valpoi remained without power for around 12 hours after a major explosion at the Amona 220kV substation in Navelim, Sanquelim, early Friday.

According to officials, a transformer at the substation caught fire following lightning, strong winds and rain in the early hours, leading to a disruption in power supply from Amona substation to Sanquelim and Valpoi substations. Power supply was interrupted at around 5am and restored across affected areas by 5pm.

The explosion damaged critical infrastructure, including bus bars used for power transmission within the substation, while the fire also destroyed insulators and completely burnt transformer oil, rendering the facility non-functional. Fire and emergency services from Bicholim brought the blaze under control.

Officials said the electricity department deployed 80–90 personnel, including engineers and staff, to carry out restoration work.

Supply was gradually restored, partly through back-feeding from alternative sources and using balance transformers, as one transformer was extensively damaged. Heavy rain also led to snapped conductors and uprooted poles in some areas, officials said.

Power officials said while power is being restored to domestic consumers, industrial consumers will receive regular power supply only after another few days.