City Power schedules week-long planned outages across Joburg for substation maintenance

City Power has announced a series of planned power interruptions across Johannesburg this week as it carries out essential substation maintenance intended to improve network reliability.

Who is affected and why

The utility said the interruptions are part of an ongoing programme to upgrade ageing infrastructure, strengthen the network and reduce the risk of unplanned outages.

“The planned interruption forms part of the utility’s ongoing programme to strengthen, maintain and improve the reliability and stability of the electricity network,”

“Planned maintenance is critical in ensuring that ageing infrastructure is serviced, faulty equipment is identified and replaced, and the risk of unplanned outages is reduced.”

Schedule and areas named by City Power

City Power listed specific substations and affected areas for this week:

• Orchards Substation outage ran from 9am to 5pm on Monday, affecting Fairmont, Orange Grove and Norwood.
• Moffat Substation switched off from 8am on Tuesday and scheduled to be back on at 4pm, affecting City Deep, Transnet and parts of Heidelberg.
• Cydna Substation and Lenasia South Ext 4 Switching Station work scheduled for Wednesday.
• Gresswold Substation and Ennerdale Ext 6 Switching Station maintenance scheduled for Thursday.
• Westgate Switching Station outage affecting Westgate Shopping Centre expected to run from Thursday until Saturday.

Safety advice and apology

City Power urged customers to be cautious during the interruptions and gave practical safety advice.

“Customers are advised to treat all electrical supply points as live at all times during the interruption period, as power supply may be restored earlier than anticipated.”

“Customers are also encouraged to unplug appliances during the outage to avoid possible damage when electricity supply is restored.”

The utility apologised for the inconvenience and said it appreciates the patience and cooperation of customers as this essential work is undertaken to improve the reliability, safety and stability of the electricity network.