Pretoria - Parts of Tshwane were plunged into darkness after the Koedoespoort sub-station suffered a transformer explosion on Youth Day.
In a statement, municipal spokesperson Selby Bokaba said transformer 1C inside the Koedoespoort sub-station exploded on Friday, causing damage to a nearby transformer.
“As a result, transformer 1B also exploded, causing a power outage which affected a number of areas in Regions 2, 3 and 6.
“The Tshwane Emergency Services was informed about the incident, and resources from two fire stations were dispatched to the scene.
“Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire as soon as technicians switched off the power supply and rendered the area safe for operations,” Bokaba said.
He said the affected areas included Waverley, Moregloed, Bergtuin, Koedoespoort Industrial, Koedoespoort, Weavindpark, Lindopark, Eastlynn, Jan Niemand Park, Silverton Industrial, Kilnerpark and Queenswood.
It was not yet clear if electricity was restored by yesterday. “The City apologises for the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen occurrence and consumers will be kept abreast of the developments,” Bokaba said.
Secondary sub-stations Pumulani Primary 132KV, Montana Secondary 11KV, Hartebeesfontein, Montana (between N1 and Breedt Street, Part of Doornpoort (between N1 and Breedt Street) and Breedt 11KV Sub-station were also affected.
Bokaba added: “The Energy and Electricity Department is on-site assessing the extent of the damage.
“Prior to the explosion, our technicians were busy with repair work at the said sub-station following multiple cable thefts two weeks ago.”
He said transformer 1C that exploded on Friday had been soaked and left to idle, meaning that it was not connected to any end-user.
“Unfortunately, when it exploded, it affected Transformer 1B which feeds some secondary sub-stations in Region 2.
“The EED team is currently testing the integrity of the overhead lines in order to determine which areas can be switched back on.
“It is too early to estimate when electricity will be restored as the testing is still under way,” he said.
Early in April larger parts of Tshwane were left in the dark after 132kv power lines fell on the N4 freeway at night – caused by vandalism of pylons – which resulted in a power outage in parts of Pretoria East and North. The city lost 300 megawatts of power following the incident.
At least seven power line structures collapsed and were badly damaged.
Further investigations by the City found that three pylons had been vandalised, which caused the power lines to collapse and fall on the road.
Pretoria News