LARGE parts of Roodepoort in the west of Joburg remain without electricity.
This after a major infrastructure failure linked to torrential downpour affected multiple substations affected on Thursday, 26 March, with no clear timeline for restoration.
City Power said the outage was triggered after a trip on the Eskom network when a voltage transformer and current transformer reportedly failed. According to City Power, an attempt to restore supply through back feeding via the central network led to a secondary incident.
City Power spokesman Isaac Mangena said: "During this process, a secondary incident occurred, resulting in an explosion on City Power's busbar at the Roodetown substation. Preliminary investigations conducted confirmed that the outage has been caused by significant damage to the busbar due to a flash."
The outage has impacted several substations, including Roodepoort, Florida North, Kloofendaal, Christian De Wet, Peter Road, Ontdekkers, Nursery and Manufacta, as well as the Penny Street Switching Station.
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"All areas supplied by the above infrastructure remain without power until the repairs are completed and final tests are clear. City Power's transmission department is on-site and actively working on repairs. Due to the extent of the damage, we are currently unable to provide an estimated time for restoration," Mangena added.
Meanwhile, Eskom has disputed claims that the fault lies within its network.
"Eskom would like to indicate that there is no fault on its network affecting supply to the Roodepoort SDC area, as mentioned in the communication issued by City Power," the power utility said.
Eskom added that a joint assessment conducted with City Power on Thursday found that "the incident relates to a flash on the white phase busbar on the City Power network".
"City Power has informed Eskom that they will commence with the necessary repairs on their infrastructure," Eskom said, adding that it remains available to support restoration efforts.
Customers are encouraged to follow updates from City Power regarding progress on restoring electricity supply.
