According to City Power, restoration is set to be gradual.
Image: Supplied/ City Power
Parts of Johannesburg were left without electricity after a fire damaged the Mayfair Substation early on Sunday morning.
City Power on Monday said engineers worked through the night to restore electricity supply, but heavy rain slowed their progress.
Areas affected by the Mayfair power outage
The utility said the blaze disrupted supply to a hospital, a broadcaster and thousands of homes and businesses.
City Power listed the affected areas in its update.
The outage affects areas including:
- SABC in Auckland Park
- Garden City Hospital, businesses and residential customers in Mayfair
- Crown
- Vrededorp
- Brixton
- Crosby
- Pageview
- Homestead Park
- Amalgam
The utility also apologised to customers.
“City Power acknowledges the significant inconvenience caused by the interruption, particularly to key customers, businesses and households,” it added.
Why power was not restored immediately
According to City Power, technical teams began by cleaning carbon residue from the damaged equipment.
They then moved on to checking the condition of the infrastructure.
“Operators are assessing the condition of seven cables, while the technical teams are testing the transformer and electrical panels to establish whether the infrastructure is safe and ready for repairs,” City Power said.
The weather made the work harder. “Progress had been hampered by the torrential downpour, which has made working conditions challenging,” the utility explained.
According to City Power, teams also considered supplying the affected areas through another route.
They ruled this out because it could overload the remaining infrastructure and cause a second outage.
“City Power has opted for a safer approach to avoid further damage and protect the stability of the electricity network,” the utility noted.
When electricity was expected to return
According to City Power, restoration is set to be gradual, and can only begin once investigations, repairs and testing are complete and the equipment is confirmed to be safe.
The utility said safety remained its priority.
“The organisation understands the urgency of restoring supply and remains committed to completing the required work without compromising safety,” it said.
