City Power says restoration continues in the Johannesburg CBD after a massive outage that left various parts of the city in darkness.
Frustrated residents have been without electricity since Saturday, when a fire at a central substation disrupted power supply to Marshalltown, Selby, and other nearby areas.
Damages
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said technical teams have restored about 75% of the power to the affected areas.
“Critical equipment within the substation was severely damaged and has had to be removed, while other components also require replacement as part of the restoration process. Teams are working to reroute the power supply through alternative routes within the network to help restore electricity safely.
“Dry ice cleaning has been completed on feeder board 1A, with further work continuing to prepare the infrastructure for repairs and safe recommissioning,” Mangena said.
Outages
Power remains off in Marshalltown, the Johannesburg CBD and surrounding areas.
“These areas continue to be prioritised. Restoration will take additional time due to the extent of the damage and the work required to stabilise the network. Operational challenges remain within the substation,” Mangena said.
“One of the transformers had to be switched off due to high temperature levels, which has also affected the cooling systems within the substation. Teams are currently working to establish an alternative temporary cooling system supply to support substation operations and enable continued restoration work.”
Water
Mangena added that they are also battling water that has filled the tunnel where the substation is located in the inner-city
“We are basically pumping it out with the assistance of Joburg Water so that we can continue to access some of the areas for further inspections and repairs.”
Restoration
Mangena said City Power has successfully restored power to Selby, Standard Bank, Carlton Centre and surrounding areas.
“However, restoring supply to the remaining affected areas is dependent on the completion of the current repair work and ensuring the network is safe to operate.
“At this stage, an estimated time of restoration for the remaining affected areas cannot yet be confirmed. City Power will continue to provide updates as progress is made,” Mangena said.
