City Power addresses ageing infrastructure and backlog challenges

City Power is confronting significant challenges related to its ageing infrastructure, with a substantial portion of its network ranging from 60 to 100 years old.

This ageing equipment is particularly prevalent in older suburbs such as Roodepoort, Randburg, Hursthill, the Inner City, and Reuven, which were among the first areas in Johannesburg to be electrified. As a result, these neighbourhoods continue to rely on outdated equipment, including old breakers, mini substations (MSS), transformers, and cables.

Isaac Mangena, spokesperson for City Power, emphasised the vulnerabilities associated with this ageing infrastructure. “The ageing infrastructure is particularly susceptible to frequent failures, including fires and trips, especially during power restoration due to the inrush current that can damage network equipment,” he stated.

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City Power is actively addressing these issues by replacing old infrastructure with new, advanced technology after each fault or incident of cable theft.

However, Mangena noted that some older equipment, such as transformers and MSS, can be challenging to repair, with many replacement parts no longer available. “As part of our business strategy, we have decided to phase out this ageing infrastructure during repairs to improve the reliability and efficiency of our network,” he added.

One of the major hurdles City Power faces is a significant backlog in infrastructure upgrades, currently exceeding R40b.

“Unfortunately, the budget allocation from the City of Johannesburg Municipality is insufficient to tackle this backlog, which encompasses both the replacement of old infrastructure and the development of new systems.”

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Mangena stated that in the last financial year, City Power received only R1.2b for these purposes, a fraction of what is needed.

“The limited availability of funds to phase out old infrastructure is hindering our efforts, but we are doing our best to maintain our existing infrastructure to extend its lifespan,” Mangena explained.

To ensure optimal performance in line with industry standards, City Power continuously carries out essential maintenance on its infrastructure.

Additionally, they are exploring alternative energy solutions as part of their broader infrastructure renewal programme. “We are prioritising the restoration of Plants Out of Service (POS) to strengthen supply reliability and better meet the growing electricity demand.”

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