The MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) Thembi Msane officially opened the upgraded Diens Street Substation on December 12, as the upgrades to the substation have now been finally completed, at least four years later.
The advanced substation, practically handed over on December 1, has a 60 MVA firm capacity and will feed the industrial area and a portion of Thokoza households.
It will greatly assist in dealing with the challenges of power outages and power supply in the surrounding areas.
The upgrade was essential in handling the increasing load from the industrial expansion and ensuring power supply.
According to Msane, the upgrade of the Diens Street Substation represents a crucial step forward in their mission to support and sustain the growing industrial demands of the region.
“The decision to upgrade this substation was driven by a notable expansion of the Alberton industrial area. This growth necessitated not only an increase in energy supply but also a modernisation of our existing infrastructure to ensure reliability and efficiency,” she said.
In the broader context, she said the country is currently facing challenges with electricity blackouts and load-shedding.
Msane said this project is part of their strategic response to these challenges, ensuring that businesses in the area have a reliable power supply to operate effectively and contribute to the economy.
Specifics
“As a city, we are exploring innovative energy solutions, which also include the wheeling of electricity. Wheeling will allow us to transport electricity from various energy generation sources directly to customers, offering a more flexible and reliable energy supply,” Msane said.
She reiterated they have ensured that every rand spent on the project has brought maximum value and contributes directly to improving the infrastructure.
Looking forward, Msane said, “We are connected to tackling the broader challenge of electricity blackouts by building additional generational capacity and exploring energy sources.”
She thanked everyone who was involved in the project.
Positive impact
Ward 94 Clr Samantha Nair pointed out this was a big win for businesses in the area amid ongoing power outages and vandalism of infrastructure.
“A lot of businesses have gone onto solar and some have gone the extra mile to secure these boxes. The Diens Street power station will now eliminate the challenges experienced by businesses,” she said.
Gordon Anderson of Mitak described the substation as a ‘world-class’ installation.
“We applied for an increase of power supply in 2008 and today was a great day to see the fruition of that. We are highly dependent on a reliable energy source, and resorting to generators is not an option for us because of the large amounts of energy we use to make our products,” he said.
He said he had the opportunity to look at it while it was being built, and that they look forward to January, when their connection will be made live.
