WATCH: City of Ekurhuleni works to restore power after Wadeville substation fire
CoE technicians are working around the clock to restore electricity after a fire damaged transformers at the Wadeville 2nd Input Substation.
The CoE has been overwhelmed by constant power outages, with the most recent affecting the Wadeville 2nd Input Substation, which was out of service for almost three weeks following a fire.
The substation caught fire on January 31, damaging two 15 MVA transformers, while a third transformer was unaffected.
City technicians were immediately dispatched to the site and worked around the clock to stabilise the network and restore power to affected customers.
@bedfordview.edenv Mzayifani Ngwenya says technicians are working round the clock to restore electricity by next Tuesday. #WadevillePowerOutage #EkurhuleniEnergy #ElectricityRestoration #PowerBackSoon
Priority went to industrial and business customers supplied through the 100 Dekema, Atom Road, Nampak and Niemann substations, due to their critical role in supporting economic activity in the area.
ALSO READ: Power outage hits multiple Ekurhuleni suburbs after Wadeville substation fire
Areas affected by the outage included Wadeville, Albemarle, Castleview, Dinwiddie, Phumula, Mapleton Ex 10, Buhle Park, and Rondebult and Roodekop and their extensions, Roodekop Industries, Leondale and surrounding areas.
Mzayifani Ngwenya, the MMC for Energy, did a site visit on February 6 to assess progress and investigate why power was not switched back on as promised on February 5.
“We understand the frustration caused by the Wadeville substation outage. Technicians are working around the clock. We are aware of all affected businesses and residents and ask for patience as efforts continue to restore electricity as quickly and safely as possible,” said Ngwenya.
Besides fire-related repairs, the substation is undergoing an upgrade to increase its capacity. Chief area engineer Vincent Sofe said power had to again be switched off after being restored on February 5 due to batteries not fully charged.
@bedfordview.edenv Wadeville Action Group (WAG) steps in to support the municipality in fast-tracking electricity repairs, showcasing strong public-private collaboration and a commitment to keeping the local economy running. #WadevilleActionGroup #PowerRestoration #PublicPrivatePartnership #LocalEconomy #CommunitySupport
“We had to gradually restore power as we were not yet operating at full capacity,” said Sofe.
Wadeville Action Group (WAG) chairperson Malcolm Moriaty said the prolonged outage posed significant challenges for businesses.
ALSO READ: Power outage hits multiple Ekurhuleni suburbs after Wadeville substation fire
“For the past two weeks, the area has been without electricity; this has been extremely disruptive. Many large businesses rely heavily on a stable power supply, and as a result, operations have been severely affected, with some businesses forced to temporarily cease operations,” said Moriaty.
He also acknowledged the city’s efforts to address the issue.
“I commend the work done by the technical crew and the subcontractors. They have worked tirelessly under difficult conditions to restore the substation and bring it to where power can be safely reinstated,” he said.
Moriaty added that the WAG had worked with the city by offering additional support to ensure repairs were swiftly completed.
“We stepped in where possible to assist.
“This included organising a crane to lift and replacing a transformer on site, which significantly sped up restorations. In addition, the WAG covered part of the costs for the crane and the manufacturing of critical electrical components,” he said.
The WAG has been instrumental in supporting stability within the business and industrial sector in the area. It has a memorandum of understanding with the city, allowing for close collaboration, particularly during challenges like power outages.
Moriaty thanked all parties involved, “I thank the city, the subcontractors and our WAG committee and team for stepping up and working collaboratively during this major outage,” he said.
