An explosion and fire at the CET Bucuresti Vest power plant in Bucharest on Monday night has left approximately 2,300 blocks without hot water.
Explosion and Fire at Bucharest Power Plant
An explosion and subsequent fire occurred at the CET Bucuresti Vest power plant in Bucharest overnight between Monday and Tuesday.
The fire impacted the plant’s electrical infrastructure, damaging a total of three transformers. Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze throughout the night, continuing to cool the installations Tuesday morning.
Cause of the Incident
A preliminary report from ELCEN indicates that an electrical defect in a 6 kV station at CET Bucuresti Vest caused the incident.
Damage also occurred to a control cabinet for direct current voltage, responsible for powering safety systems. This led to the deactivation of safety measures and a cascading failure spreading to other station elements and 110/6 kV transformers, where a fire also broke out.
Impact on Utilities
Romanian authorities state the incident did not affect electrical power supply in Bucharest.
However, heating and hot water supplies were disrupted as the power plant was temporarily taken offline. CET Grozavesti is taking over supply to affected areas.
Number of Affected Buildings
According to operator Termoenergetica, approximately 2,300 blocks in the western part of Bucharest are without hot water, primarily in sectors 5 and 6, and parts of sectors 1 and 2.
Earlier reports suggested a larger scale of disruption, but official communications indicated around 2,300 buildings by midday.
Article Updated
This article is being updated.