Vandalism at the Atom Road Substation has been identified as the main cause of the recent power outage in parts of Germiston.
The incident which occurred on Tuesday resulted in switchgear panels catching fire and damages to the transformer.
Areas that were initially affected include:
• Portion of Wadeville;
• Stone Arch;
• Castleview;
• Dinwiddie;
• Albemarle;
• Union;
• Norton small farms; and
• Dewittrus.
As of Wednesday, the City managed to restore power to most of the areas in the afternoon via an alternative supply system, except for the following areas:
• Portion of Wadeville;
• Stone Arch;
• Castleview.
In the interim, emergency cables will be laid at both Atom Road and the second input substations that will provide additional capacity in order to restore over 60% of Wadeville industries.
Estimated restoration time is this afternoon, Friday, 30 August 2024.
An additional cable will be installed from a nearby Russel Road substation that will supply the Castleview and Stone Arch areas which are expected to be energized over the weekend.
Full restoration of the whole substation will take up to 7 days, which includes servicing of the damaged transformer, cleaning and removing of damaged high voltage panels at Atom substation and reinstating new protection switchgear.
Meanwhile, the City has approved a budget this financial year to overhaul and upgrade Atom Road substation. The project is expected to resume in the second quarter of the financial year. This will provide much needed newer technology and equipment.
Residents are advised to treat electrical networks as live at all times while work is ongoing.
Germiston power outage update https://t.co/8H0GQ8mm1Q#ArriveAlive #PowerOutage #Update @City_Ekurhuleni pic.twitter.com/2vSV357Q0P
– Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) August 30, 2024