R231 million Pennyville and Mondeor substation upgrades to help stabilise Joburg power grid
18 June 2019
Today, 18 June 2019, I was joined by the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Cllr Nico de Jager, on an oversight visit to upgrades to two City Power substations south of Johannesburg.
The substations in Pennyville and Mondeor are currently undergoing infrastructure build upgrades that will increase City Power’s capacity to provide reliable power supply to residents. In order to future-proof these upgrades, City Power ensured that new service connections can be made from the substations without compromising the stability of the grid.
Upon completion, these newly refurbished substations will add significantly to the City Power grid, easing the burden of the R170 billion infrastructure backlog. The upgraded grid will be able to handle a high demand of electricity during peak hours.
The building of a primary plant at Mondeor Substation is 90% complete. The R134 million upgrade will allow the transfer of electricity from Eikenhof to Mondeor substations and also ensures that Mondeor Substation becomes a back-up power supplier to Rand Water Board in the event of a power failure at Eikenhof substation.
The completion of a double busbar at the Pennyville Substation’s switching station will increase capacity and ensure transfer of power between Fordsburg and the future Quattro substations. This R97 million upgrade will cater for growth in the inner city and act as a backup for Delta Substation.
Furthermore, with the installation of Scada, DC-system and telecommunications equipment at these substations, the monitoring, gathering and processing of real-time data will allow City Power to detect fault on the network much earlier.
As refurbishments continue, City Power is undertaking to avoid any power disruptions as a result thereof. However, if extreme circumstances necessitates that power be switched off, residents are informed well in advance.
These and other upgrades throughout the City are a clear indication of this multi-party’s commitment to delivering quality and sustainable services to our residents.
Maintaining our electrical grid plays a significant role in driving much-needed economic growth and creating work opportunities.
Issued by Chantelle Fourie-Shawe, Media Specialist: Office of the Executive Mayor, 18 June 2019
