CITY Power is set to receive delivery of the new feeder board at the Soweto Substation in Orlando East.
The electricians have successfully stripped the burnt feeder board which was destroyed after suspected theft and vandalism which resulted in broken high-tension jumpers at the Orlando Switching Station.
This led to a chain of events which resulted in a fire at the neighbouring substation.
City Power spokesman Isaac Mangena said that all substations affected such as Eikenhof, Nancefield, Hursthill, Mondeor, Nirvana, Eldorado Park, Pennyville, Industria and Mondeor have since been restored, except for the Soweto Substation where there was extensive damage.
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"The burnt area was cleaned overnight to prepare for the new feeder board which will be delivered and assembled today. While preliminary investigations point to theft and vandalism, investigations are not yet complete. Unfortunately, the extensive damage at Soweto substation means that the areas fed from it including Pimville Zone 9, Orlando Ekhaya, Joshco flats, Baragwanath Hospital, Doornkop military base, Motsoaledi and surround areas will experience a prolonged power outage," said Mangena.
He said so far, the team has managed to strip and clear the feeder board to make way for a new one.
"The cleared space will be cleaned to prepare for the new feeder board. The cleaning is expected to take a substantial amount of time. The team has managed to secure new panels which will be delivered to the site by Friday. The substation will remain off until repairs are completed, which could take up to seven days," he said.
Mangena said the repair work, which is still to be done at Soweto substation, includes installing refurbished breakers, jointing and termination of panels and laying cables. Testing will then commence including that of cables, the feeder board, and refurbished breakers.
