Yesterday morning, Bengaluru’s flagship Manyata Tech Park experienced a sudden power outage that left thousands of IT professionals stranded at their desks. According to an official statement from the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM), the outage began at approximately 9:15 AM and persisted for nearly two hours after on-site generator backups failed to engage properly (BESCOM Press Release, June 22, 2025).
5 Key Takeaways
- Outage Duration: 9:15 AM–11:00 AM on June 22, 2025.
- Primary Cause: Phase-III transformer fault at the adjacent 66 kV substation.
- Backup Failure: Diesel generators at three major office blocks did not auto-start due to a software misconfiguration (IISc Electrical Engineering Dept. analysis).
- Impact: Over 8,000 employees from companies including Infosphere, TechNova, and CloudWave lost connectivity; several meetings and product launches were delayed or moved online.
- Restoration: BESCOM crews restored grid power by 10:50 AM; full generator functionality confirmed by 11:10 AM.
What Happened and Why
Around 9:15 AM IST on June 22, a critical transformer at the KPTCL-operated substation serving Manyata Tech Park malfunctioned. BESCOM immediately dispatched repair crews, but a deeper issue emerged when on-site Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and diesel generators failed to auto-start in three of the park’s largest office complexes.
“Our standard protocol involves a brief UPS hold-up followed by seamless diesel generator engagement,” explained Dr. Arvind Rao, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science. “Preliminary diagnostics suggest a firmware mismatch prevented the automatic relay signal from initiating generator start-up.”
Dr. Rao’s insights align with the Central Electricity Authority’s 2024 report on urban grid resilience, which emphasizes that secondary systems must be tested quarterly to prevent exactly this kind of cascade failure.
Impact on Bengaluru’s IT Sector
Manyata Tech Park is home to over 100 technology firms, and the outage rippled through ongoing projects:
- Product Demos: CloudWave had to postpone a critical client demonstration scheduled at 10 AM, leading to reputational concerns.
- Virtual Conferencing: Teams scrambled to switch to cellular hotspots; network congestion caused significant lag.
- Employee Well-being: The sudden darkness and elevator halt triggered mild panic among employees on upper floors; no injuries were reported.
Expert Analysis
According to the Central Electricity Authority’s “Urban Power Systems 2024” report, unscheduled outages in major tech hubs can cost companies upwards of ₹2 crore per hour in lost productivity. “Redundancy is only as good as the last test,” notes Dr. Sunita Bhatia, lead author of the report. “Organizations must conduct integrated system tests under full load to catch firmware or configuration errors.”
Daily Digest: Ongoing Updates
- June 23, 8 AM: BESCOM schedules a full substation diagnostic; power to Manyata Park to be turned off briefly on June 25 for preventive maintenance.
- June 24, 5 PM: Tech Park management to host a webinar on “Improving On-Site Backup Reliability.”
- June 25, 10 AM: Planned 30-minute disruption for substation overhaul; notices sent to tenants.
Fact-Check
| Claim | Verified Source |
|---|---|
| Outage time stamp (9:15 AM–11:00 AM) | BESCOM Press Release (June 22, 2025) |
| Generator auto-start failure due to firmware issue | IISc Dept. of Electrical Engineering preliminary report |
| Estimated ₹2 crore/hour productivity loss | Central Electricity Authority, Urban Power Systems 2024 |
What Happens Next?
- Preventive Maintenance: BESCOM and KPTCL jointly to audit firmware configurations across all critical grid-to-generator interfaces.
- Tenant Briefings: Tech Park management to mandate quarterly emergency drills.
- Regulatory Oversight: Karnataka Energy Regulatory Commission (KERC) likely to recommend updated circulars on backup power testing.
