Turbine is a milestone in ending load-shedding in province

The recommissioning of the first open gas turbine has been completed, marking a significant step towards eradicating load-shedding in Gauteng.

The completion of the John Ware Power Station, which is due for a name change, was launched on April 17 by the Gauteng premier, Panyaza Lesufi.

He was accompanied by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC Mzikayifani Khumalo, Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda and the MMC for Infrastructure and Environment Jack Sekwaila.

The City Power board chairperson Bonolo Ramokhele and CEO Tshifularo Mashava were also present at the unveiling ceremony.

The plant was refurbished as part of the provincial energy response plan aimed at ending load-shedding, creating energy availability, energy security and energy accessibility.

This is part of the City of Joburg (CoJ) energy mix strategy launched by the late mayor Mpho Moerane, back in 2021 at the same venue.

The plan he launched at John Ware Substation, which is now generating 50MW of electricity into the grid, has been completed. At the time of the launch, the plant was dormant for over a decade.

City Power has two more open gas turbines, Karzene (Durban Street) and Cottesloe, that both have licenses to generate 50MW each. Once the three are up and running, they will contribute 150MW to the grid. This is a significant figure in the face of massive energy challenges the province is facing.

However, this is just a part of a more comprehensive plan which involves the installation of solar microgrids. The first of these has been completed in Alexandra. The plan also includes the installation of rooftop photovoltaic systems, engagement with IPPs and demand management systems as the installation of ripple relays and smart meters’ load-limiting initiatives.

These programmes combined will ensure that the province generates additional electricity into the grid, helping to lower power supply demand.

“Today we are contributing 50 MW that were not there 18 months ago. The commitment we are making now is that next month, we are bringing in another 50MW to make it 100MW in total. In the next financial year, we are bringing in another 100MW. We don’t want to glorify problems, we want to eliminate them,” said Lesufi.

The refurbishment project required extensive work, and the premier praised the entity for managing to wrap up the task within a short space of time.

“After the technical assessments, the real work of interlinking four other substations, cleaning diesel tanks and fixing cracks also had to be done. The team needed to overhaul the transformer and two engines that had already gathered up rust and corroded, as part of the refurbishment works,” said City Power CEO Mashava.

“The work also included putting fire suppression systems in place and setting up remote data monitoring systems to track generation capacity electronically and track anomalies so that our teams can respond timeously,” she added.

Joburg’s mayor thanked the provincial government for a vote of confidence in City Power and lauded the entity for delivering as promised.

“This project demonstrates what could be achieved through intergovernmental collaboration. We thank premier Lesufi and the provincial administration that he leads for choosing City Power as a special purpose vehicle to deliver the province’s energy objectives,” said mayor Gwamanda.

MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Sekwaila said the government of local unity is committed to addressing the energy crisis.

“The CoJ is the continent’s economic hub. We cannot run an economy of that magnitude effectively without a sufficient energy supply. That is why, when the provincial government came up with a plan to collaborate with the city through one of its entities, we welcomed the suggestion and gave our utmost support,” noted Sekwaila.

The province requires at least 3 000MW of electricity to escape from the grips of load-shedding. Various projects are underway to meet that requirement.