The City of Tshwane has reported progress in restoring power to affected Centurion suburbs after the April 3 Brakfontein Substation explosion, which had left residents in darkness and frustration for days.
On Sunday, MMC for Utility Services, Frans Boshielo, announced that power has been successfully restored to Rooihuiskraal North and Amberfield 1 and 2.
He attributed the progress to the "dedicated and hardworking technicians" who have been working tirelessly to resolve the issue caused by extensive fire damage at the substation.
“And once more I would like to thank you for your patience during this challenging time and the other areas that are still outstanding will be restored very soon,” he said
The prolonged power outages affected several areas, including Heuweloord, Monavoni, Amberfield, Eldoraigne, Celtisdal, and parts of Wierdapark.
Boshielo's update on power restoration follows a site visit by the mayoral committee, led by Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya, on Friday.
During the visit, Moya apologised to Centurion residents for not meeting the initial power restoration deadline of Friday.
“Our updates to residents are based on ongoing assessments and are not intended to mislead communities. Our teams have been confronted by setbacks that have prolonged power restoration,” she said.
She said the teams made significant progress as of Saturday by completing about 95% of the work that was outstanding.
“A transformer was switched on on Friday, and a process of ensuring its stability and performance is underway. In addition, our teams are busy on-site cleaning interconnections,” she said.
Power restoration, she said, will happen in phases, starting with Amberfield 1 and Amberfield 2, followed by Brakfontein, then Hennopspark Industrial and Wierdapark Residential and lastly Rooihuiskraal.
In a media statement on Saturday, the City said tremendous progress has been made by the energy and electricity team towards energising the substation, paving the way for a phased restoration of power.
“The soaking of the transformer is progressing well. This is a crucial step to ensuring the transformer's insulation and windings are properly conditioned before being subjected to full load,” the City said.
The Metro further indicated that the engineers will conduct sequential tests to verify the transformer's performance, and ensure successful energisation.
“These tests will be performed with caution and delicacy to guarantee a safe and reliable power restoration. Furthermore, the team will need to perform tests downstream before switching can commence. This thorough approach will help ensure a stable and efficient power supply,” it said.
Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said: “If all goes according to plan, and due to the delicate nature of this situation, the City will restore power in stages rather than all at once, as noted earlier in previous updates. This approach of restoration in phases is meant to minimise disturbances and ascertain stability of the electricity network. It also involves gradually adding loads back on to the system, starting with critical infrastructure and essential services.”
He said concerns and disruptions to daily life of impacted customers by the blackout cannot be overstated.
“In the same breath, the City of Tshwane pleads for customers’ composure and cautions them against going near the substation site, as this will cause further delays,” he said.