Conveyor Fire Kills 1, Injures 2 at 840-MW Indian Coal Plant

Investigations are ongoing into a fire that occurred just after midnight on Thursday at the 840-MW Mettur thermal power plant in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The fire that devastated the plant’s conveyor system killed one worker and injured two others.

The fire was first noticed in the 1,312-foot-long main coal conveyor belt between two coal towers, but it spread to the milling plant and, later, to the bunker top, according to The Hindu. Firefighters from neighboring areas fought five hours to bring the blaze under control.

The newspaper reported that fire had broken out in the conveyor system just two months earlier.

Without its conveyor system, all four 210-MW units at the plant have been shut down, leaving power-hungry Tamil Nadu scrambling for more capacity. While the Tamil Nadu government has launched an inquiry into the fire, station chief engineer C. Madhu reportedly told media that the fire could have been caused by an electrical short-circuit.

Sources: POWERnews, The Hindu, The Times of India