Cable fault cause of power outage
The councillor of Ward 18 says this serves as a reminder that ageing infrastructure needs to be maintained.
A CABLE fault caused the almost 30 hours long power outage which affected areas such as Cowies Hill, Chiltern Hills and Westville North this week.
Ward 18 councillor Melanie Brauteseth said the outage started on Tuesday, June 17, until power was restored on Wednesday, June 18 at around 19:00.
The councillor said the cable which had a fault was earlier this year repaired but “unfortunately, the fault resurfaced, necessitating urgent repair efforts”.
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“Repair teams were dispatched promptly to address the issue. The process of repairing a cable involves significant manual labour, as digging is predominantly done by hand to avoid causing further damage to the surrounding infrastructure. Once the necessary sections of cable were exposed, replacement and repair work began. Following the repairs, testing officers conducted thorough inspections and tests to ensure the safety and functionality of the restored electricity supply. The process, from identifying the fault to completing repairs, requires precision, patience, and meticulous adherence to procedures,” said Brauteseth.
The councillor added this outage served as a reminder that ageing infrastructure needs to be maintained.
Some residents complained that last week there was an outage for about three days and that these outages have been occurring almost every weekend.
Power went off again on Thursday, June 19, affecting Cowies Hill but it was restored by 21:00. The councillor said this outage was a result of a fault in a different location.
The municipality was yet to respond to questions about the outage from the Highway Mail.
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