Seven-hour power outage set to impact parts of Tshwane
A scheduled power outage will cut electricity to parts of Tshwane for seven hours on Thursday. These are the areas that will be affected.
Eskom will cut power to areas in Cullinan for seven hours on Thursday, 22 May, from 11:00 to 18:00, to carry out urgent maintenance on the distribution network.
Several locations will be affected by the power outage, including Butjani Lodge, Lama-Lama Game Reserve, Loodswaai Game Lodge, Leeuwfontein Provincial Nature Reserve, Moloto North, Savanna Game Farm, Wagondrift Lodge, and Spa & Game Farm.
Eskom conducts emergency repairs that will cause a power outage
The utility confirmed that the scheduled power outage is essential to ensure the stability of the network.
“The interruption in electricity supply is necessary to perform essential emergency maintenance on our distribution power lines,” Eskom said in a notice.
Officials urge residents and businesses to treat all electrical appliances as live during the power outage to ensure safety.
The notice continued, “Eskom would like to thank you for your cooperation and apologises for any inconvenience that may be caused by this maintenance. ”
The utility also cautioned that unforeseen events might delay or halt the planned power outage maintenance.
Explosion Hits Centurion Infrastructure
An early morning explosion at the Zwartkop substation on Tuesday caused a power outage in Centurion and Pretoria East. The blast tripped the Lyttelton Line 1 at Njala, disrupting supply to the Wingate, Aries, and De Hoewes substations.
According to the city, Transformer B2, which the team has been testing rigorously since yesterday, 20 May, has successfully passed all high-voltage tests.
However, the transformer’s cable end box still needs to be replaced as it was severely damaged during theft and vandalism.
“A specially ordered cable end box for the backup transformer is expected to arrive on site by Friday, 23 May, after which cable termination will commence,” said the city.
Repairs and Apologies for the power outage
The team has started excavating to replace the damaged feeder and control cables. Furthermore, technicians have commenced cold commissioning of the substation with tests on feeder panels.
“The city pleads for patience and cooperation from the affected customers while technicians are working around the clock to restore power,” the city said.
The estimated time for restoration will be communicated once the bulk of the repair work has been completed.