The City of Tshwane is working to restore power to customers affected by an explosion at the Watloo substation on Tuesday. The incident impacted a major part of the electricity network, affecting at least 11 substations and leaving large parts of Pretoria without power. According to Nndwamato Tom Mutshidza, Divisional Head in the city's Energy and Electricity Business Unit, some customers had their power restored on Tuesday night, with more areas brought back online on Wednesday.
By Thursday morning, around 30% of affected customers were still without electricity. Mutshidza stated that teams would continue working throughout Thursday to get the remaining affected customers back online by evening. He added that rain on Tuesday hampered repair work, making it difficult for teams to work safely. The exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation, with Mutshidza saying it appeared to involve a mechanical failure of panels.
Mutshidza described the damage as "extensive" and mentioned that the substation was secured, ruling out foul play. He explained that from an insurance perspective, records of all maintenance work carried out are needed to determine whether the city was negligent or not. The incident has significantly impacted the city's electricity supply, with large parts of Pretoria affected.
The City of Tshwane is taking steps to address the issue and restore power to all affected customers. Mutshidza emphasized that teams will work throughout Thursday to ensure everyone is back online. The city's efforts aim to minimize the disruption caused by the explosion and restore normalcy to the affected areas.
The explosion at the Watloo substation has highlighted the importance of maintaining and securing critical infrastructure. The incident has also underscored the need for the city to have contingency plans in place to address such emergencies. The City of Tshwane is working to prevent similar incidents in the future.
According to Mutshidza, the load on the panels became too much, causing them to explode in one of the stadiums inside the substation. The incident has had a significant impact on the daily lives of residents in the affected areas. The city's efforts to restore power are ongoing, with a focus on completing the work by Thursday evening.
The City of Tshwane's goal is to restore power to all customers by Thursday evening. Teams are working diligently to achieve this goal, and the city is providing updates on the progress. Once the work is completed, the city will assess the damage and take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Key points
- The City of Tshwane aims to restore power to all customers affected by the Watloo substation explosion by Thursday evening.
- Around 30% of affected customers were still without electricity by Thursday morning.
- The exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation, with initial indications pointing to a mechanical failure of panels.
