Noida sectors to see 14-hour power outage today owing to maintenance work

They said aged and damaged 11 kV incoming and outgoing VCB panels at the Sector 124 substation will be replaced during the maintenance work

Residents of Noida’s key sectors will face a 14-hour power outage on Saturday (November 16) owing to critical maintenance work scheduled at the 33/11 kV substation in Sector 124, officials of Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) said on Friday.

The disruption will affect sectors 94, 95, 124, 125, and 126, along with Raipur area, for 14 hours -- from 10am to midnight. (HT Archive, representational image)

The disruption will affect sectors 94, 95, 124, 125, and 126, along with Raipur area, for 14 hours -- from 10am to midnight. The maintenance is part of UPPCL’s business plan 2024-2025, which focuses on improving power infrastructure and ensuring reliable supply, said PVVNL officials.

They said aged and damaged 11 kV incoming and outgoing VCB panels at the Sector 124 substation will be replaced during the maintenance work.

“The maintenance work at the Sector 124 substation is part of our broader efforts to upgrade aging infrastructure and enhance the reliability of power supply in Noida. The existing 11 kV VCB (vacuum circuit breaker) panels have been in operation for years and need replacement to prevent potential breakdowns. We urge consumers to plan their activities accordingly on Saturday and reach out to our helpline 1912 if they need any assistance,” said Harish Bansal, chief engineer, PVVNL Noida.

The prolonged outage is expected to cause major inconvenience to households that depend on uninterrupted power supply for their daily operations. “A full day outage is challenging, especially for those working from home. It is going to affect our daily chores,” said Pramod Kumar, resident, Sector 126.

According to Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association (FONRWA), the sectors scheduled to see the outage mainly have residential establishments.

“We have been consistently engaging with the discom to address issues faced by various sectors of Noida, and progress is being made. However, such prolonged outages should be avoided and the discom should consider scheduling maintenance in shifts to minimize disruption,” said KK Jain, FONRWA general secretary.

“With Grap Stage 3 in effect, the use of DG sets is prohibited to control air pollution, leaving residents with limited alternatives during the outage. This situation is likely to cause significant inconvenience to residents,” he said.

“The complexity and scale of this work requires a continuous power shutdown for safety and efficiency and we scheduled this during the weekend to minimise the inconvenience caused to residents. Once completed, this upgrade will significantly improve the supply,” said the chief engineer.

Additionally, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has announced that its consumer portal (uppclonline.com) will also undergo technical upgrades during this weekend. Online services such as bill payments, smart meter recharges, auto bill generation, and load enhancement requests will be unavailable from 10pm on November 16 to 4am on November 17, further compounding the inconvenience for consumers.