City Power nears commissioning of R190m Mondeor Switching Station

City Power (CP) announced that commissioning of the long-awaited Mondeor Switching Station is nearing completion, with the project in its final stages.

This R190m investment is a critical milestone in Johannesburg’s energy infrastructure programme, aimed at ensuring a stable and reliable power supply to customers and key facilities, including Rand Water (RW).

The project comes at a time when communities have faced water disruptions at RW’s Eikenhof Pumping Station.

The Mondeor Switching Station will address this challenge by introducing redundancy in RW’s electricity supply.

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Currently, Eikenhof is supplied mainly through the Orlando Linking Station, which is old and has contributed to water-related outages.

With Mondeor in place, Eikenhof will be directly connected to the Prospect and Fordsburg intake substations, meaning that should the Prospect, Mulbarton or Orlando line experience a fault, the new link will immediately and seamlessly take over.

This solution will stabilise RW’s operations and reduce the risk of water shortages caused by electricity interruptions, which will also benefit the city, the western parts of Joburg and even the North West Province.

Beyond water security, the state-of-the-art Mondeor Switching Station will strengthen CP’s distribution network.

It will integrate the existing Mondeor transformer substation into a fully functional switching station, allowing it to feed the Eikenhof, Mulbarton, Mondeor and Robertsham substations.

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By creating this link between Fordsburg and Prospect, the project will reduce strain on the ageing Orlando Linking Station, cut switching times, improve reliability, and ensure faster restoration of supply in the event of unplanned outages.

Additionally, the extra capacity created will enable CP to meet growing demand and expand future connections, enhancing grid flexibility and resilience.

CP CEO Tshifularo Mashava emphasised the importance of this redundancy, saying that the project is not only about strengthening the grid but also about securing Johannesburg’s water supply.

“This ground-breaking initiative represents a major investment in Johannesburg’s electricity infrastructure.

The stability of our power supply directly affects Johannesburg’s water security.

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By securing Rand Water’s electricity connection, we are protecting our customers from unnecessary water shortages linked to power interruptions.

“The Mondeor Switching Station is more than just an energy project; it’s a lifeline for communities that depend on a reliable electricity and water supply,” said Mashava.

The project, launched in 2015, was delayed for over eight years after discovering an RW pipeline running across the proposed site. Following extensive negotiations, CP and RW agreed to reroute the pipeline, with the work completed in August 2024.

This breakthrough cleared the way for construction and commissioning activities to resume. CP’s plant manager, Thami Mthembu, highlighted the resilience of the project team.

“This is a significant milestone in our journey to provide Johannesburg residents with an uninterrupted and sustainable power supply.

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The success of this phase is a testament to the dedication, persistence and commitment of everyone involved.

The Mondeor Switching Station will bring relief to customers and create the capacity to connect more households and businesses to the grid in the future,” said Mthembu, who pointed out that the work did not interrupt the power supply to customers.

The Mondeor Switching Station is expected to be fully operational by February 2026, marking a new era of strengthened electricity infrastructure for Joburg and laying the foundation for improved water security in the city.