A significant power outage struck large parts of Gurgaon on Friday evening after a fault at a 220kV substation in Sector 72 disrupted electricity supply across multiple areas. The blackout occurred at a particularly challenging time, with the city experiencing searing heat, temperatures reaching 42.7 degrees Celsius, and power demand having hit an all-time high just a day earlier. The outage also affected Rapid Metro services, leaving commuters stranded and forcing some to walk along the tracks to reach nearby stations.
Impact on Residents and Infrastructure
For thousands of residents, the outage meant stifling homes, stalled lifts, and non-functional fans and air-conditioners, raising the prospect of a long, sleepless night. The disruption cascaded across the city's power network, affecting eight substations in total. The metro outage added to the chaos during peak evening hours, compounding the difficulties faced by commuters.
Cause and Response
The disruption began around 7pm when a transformer in one of the circuits at the Sector 72 substation developed a fault, triggering a shutdown and a cascading impact on downstream substations. Supply was hit across substations in sectors 38, 44, 46, 52, 56, 15, and the Maruti plant, affecting large stretches of Golf Course Road, Sohna Road, MG Road, Palam Vihar, and parts of sectors 15, 38, 44, 45, 46, 47, 50, 51, 52, 56, and 57. Discom officials stated that teams were working to isolate and repair the fault while exploring load-sharing through nearby substations to restore supply in phases. An official noted that repairs might take several hours. KK Sarkar, superintending engineer at HVPNL, confirmed that the disruption was due to a technical malfunction and that teams were on the ground working to restore supply as soon as possible.
Residents' Experiences
The timing of the outage made it especially brutal. On Thursday, the city recorded its highest-ever power demand at 2,372 MW, surpassing previous peaks, as temperatures remained above 40 degrees Celsius throughout the week. On Friday, the mercury climbed to 42.7 degrees Celsius, with the India Meteorological Department issuing an orange alert for heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in Haryana from May 24 to 27. Amit Sharma, a resident of Sector 46, expressed frustration, saying it was impossible to sleep in such heat with the power out since evening and no idea when it would return. In Sector 56, Ritu Arora mentioned that repeated tripping had already damaged appliances, calling this complete blackout the worst seen this summer. Even in societies with backup generators, residents noted that relief came at a price. Sumit Anand of Sushant Lok explained that generator backup is expensive, and during long cuts, societies burn huge amounts of diesel, leading to higher bills.
Disruption to Metro Services
The outage also disrupted Rapid Metro services during peak evening hours. A Delhi Metro official stated that the power supply failure from HVPNL's Sector 72 substation, which feeds the Rapid Metro and the Gurgaon section of the Yellow Line, halted Rapid Metro train services from 7:50pm to 8:33pm. Commuters were stranded inside trains and at stations. After being stuck for some time, some passengers stepped out and walked along the tracks to reach nearby stations. A video shared by commuters showed people walking on the metro tracks. One commuter recounted stepping out of the metro and walking to the nearest station. However, services on the Yellow Line were regulated through a standby substation and continued to run normally during this period. Rapid Metro services resumed once power supply was restored through the Sector 72 substation. Saket Kumar, a commuter, said he had been waiting for 30 minutes and noted that some people had already left to find other means of transport.
Recent Power Failures
The blackout came just two days after a fire at the Sector 9 substation caused a nearly nine-hour outage for around 1,500 families in three societies: Parina Laxmi Apartment and Parina Coban in Sector 99A, and BPTP Amstoria in Sector 102. Residents said the back-to-back failures had exposed the fragility of the city's power network at a time of extreme weather and soaring demand. Naveen Batra of Sector 52 commented that every summer brings the same story of faults, fires, and long cuts, indicating that the system clearly cannot handle the load.
