Major Fire at Machkund Hydro Power Plant in Koraput.

Koraput, Odisha: A major fire broke out at the Machkund Hydro Power Plant near Duduma Waterfall in Koraput district. The fire reportedly started at turbine panel board No. 5 and spread to other parts of the plant. Initial reports indicate a short circuit may have caused the blaze, though the exact cause is still under investigation.

Electrical equipment valued at around ₹20 lakh was destroyed in the incident. Fire tenders promptly responded to extinguish the flames. This is not the first fire at the plant, as a similar mishap occurred in 2008.

The Machkund Hydroelectric Project, one of India’s oldest power projects, is located on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border and supplies power to both states commissioned in 1955. It sits 185 km from Visakhapatnam and power is shared 50:50 between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The Jalaput dam feeds it.