City Power initiates plans to repair Eldorado Park substation gutted by fire

City Power says its teams have started with assessments to determine the extent of the damage of caused by a fire at Eldorado Park substation.

Several areas were plunged into darkness on Friday after a blaze gutted the substation.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the assessment will also include the investigation into the cause of the fire and the costs.

“The team has already completed the plan of the work that needs to be done as well as engaging the contractors, and ordering the material needed to repair the damaged substation. The fire damaged one transformer with the second one only affected by the heat and will be tested. The control room has also been badly damaged.”

Mangena said specialised equipment cleaning company has been deployed to clean all burnt equipment to make it easy for the team to assess equipment damage and start with the repairs.

“Substations that tripped upstream due to the fire include Orlando, Fordsburg, Pennyville, Mayfair, Mondeor, Nirvana, Nancefield, and Eikenhof. All the substations have been restored except Nancefield and Nirvana which we hope to restore later today after cleaning the transmission lines affected by carbon smoke.”

Mangena said the estimated time for restoration (ETR) for Eldorado Park substation can only be determined after the assessment of the extent of the damage.

“City Power is aware of the impact that this fire has caused the residents of Eldorado Park and surrounding areas, and we apologise for the inconvenienced caused. We will however do everything in our power to repair the substation and to restore power to affected communities as quick as is humanly possible.”

Johannesburg council Speaker Vasco da Gama also visited the Eldorado Park substation where he received a briefing by the City Power technical team on the extent of the damage.

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