Kempton Park 66kV cable project set to improve power network
Work on the 66kV cable linking Van Riebeeck Park and Glen Marais substations is nearing completion, with testing and final work under way.
The City of Ekurhuleni’s 66kV cable project linking the Van Riebeeck Park and Glen Marais substations is nearing completion, with the work expected to be finished by the end of October.
The project, which began in April, forms part of the city’s efforts to complete a ring connecting several substations in Kempton Park.
According to 66kV project head of operations Trading Thabang Motlana, the network includes substations such as Glen Marais, Aston Manor and Spartan.
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“Now we are trying to complete the ring. The other sections have been done and only two sections were left. The one between Main Supply and Spartan was handled by another company, while we are busy on this side. This year, it is only the link between Van Riebeeck Park and Glen Marais,” said Motlana.
The project aims to improve the electricity network’s ability to supply power to affected areas when a substation experiences an outage.
Motlana explained that where the network is linked, electricity can be back fed from another substation. However, if there is a break in the ring, this cannot be done.
“The aim is to try to complete the whole circle,” he said.
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When the project began in April, Motlana said the trenching would cover more than four kilometres and that the first 500 metres of cable was being installed.
At the time, he said the completed ring would assist in reducing the impact of power outages, particularly during winter when electricity demand increases because of the use of heaters.
By September 15, Motlana said all the cables between the Van Riebeeck Park and Glen Marais substations had been laid and the terminations completed.
The team was then working on cable jointing and the final joint base.
“From Thursday and Friday, we are going to start to test the cable if it is ready to go, but the final VLF testing will be on September 22 and 23,” said Motlana.
He said cleaning and other remaining work was expected to take a further two to three weeks, with the project initially expected to be completed by the end of October.Ward 15 Clr Amanda Davison welcomed the progress, saying the project followed a petition submitted in 2017.
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“This is the last stage of the project that started because of the petition that we did in 2017. I am very impressed and hopefully, when this is finished, we will have fewer power outages in Kempton Park,” said Davison.
“The whole Kempton Park will have a full, complete 66kV new cable. I’m grateful to the contractor, the CLO and the team on the ground. They have been working fantastically well.”
