Persistent power cuts expose City Power flaws
For now, the hope is that relief is in sight – pending the successful completion of the scheduled infrastructure upgrades.
Little Falls — Residents in Little Falls and Strubens Valley have endured a staggering 256 hours without electricity since the start of the year, prompting frustration and concern in the community.
City Power has now confirmed the cause: Ageing infrastructure on the overhead lines between Peter Road Substation and Florin Road Switching Station, this according to Ward 85 councillor Zoné Hughes.
Hughes issued an update statement to residents on April 10, stating that the power supply problems began escalating early this year, culminating in a major inspection effort on March 13.
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City Power technicians worked throughout the day to assess the lines, ultimately deciding to temporarily reroute electricity through the Christiaan de Wet Substation as a stopgap measure.
However, this move has come with its challenges. The Christiaan de Wet Substation, already under strain, is now bearing the load for two additional suburbs.
This has resulted in further outages caused by overloads, compounding the frustration for residents.
City Power has since confirmed that all necessary materials have been sourced to begin critical repairs on the overhead infrastructure.
The planned work involves replacing all old conductors and insulators along the affected line. Once removal is complete, the installation of new insulators and stringing of new conductors will begin. The entire repair process is expected to take approximately two weeks.
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Only once the repairs are completed and the system is re-energised will power be rerouted back to the Peter Road Substation.
In the meantime, Hughes has urged residents to use electricity sparingly in a bid to reduce pressure on the overstretched Christiaan de Wet Substation.
“City Power is aware of the impact these outages have had on our community,” Hughes said.
“They are working to restore a more stable power supply, but we need to work together to prevent further overloads during this transition.”
Residents have taken to social media to share their frustrations, with many calling for a long-term solution and better communication from City Power moving forward.
