Schools, clinics and other essential services facilities in Joburg may also soon be exempted from load shedding. Photo: iStock
A total of 35 suburbs in Johannesburg will see their load shedding blocks adjusted come Sunday after the city’s electricity supplier announced its move to exclude the majority of essential services and businesses from cuts was gaining momentum.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said on Friday that more customers were benefiting from the move as the entity’s local energy team “put up a lot of work behind the scenes to reconfigure the network, realign the blocks, and enter into load curtailment agreements with most of businesses and essential service customers”.
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“These positive developments however mean that some of the load shedding blocks will be affected as customers may have been moved during this realignment exercise.
“Therefore, as early as Sunday, 17 March 2024, some customers will be moved to new load shedding blocks as City Power effects these crucial changes in some of its areas of supply within the City of Johannesburg.”
Suburbs affected:
Mangena said essential infrastructure facilities added to the exemption from load shedding include the Bulk Water Treatment Plants “to address the water supply interruption challenges, among other reasons”.
“Most of the City’s water and sanitation reticulation systems rely on electricity, with pump stations at treatment works requiring constant uninterrupted power supply to operate optimally. The continuous load shedding often interrupts these operations.
“In response to this challenge, City Power has taken a decision to exclude the Hursthill and Lenasia Treatment Works from load shedding.
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“Rand Water’s Robertville transit water pump station in Roodepoort will also be excluded after a dedicated feeder-line was built as part of the new state-of-the-art Fleurhof Substation to be unveiled on Tuesday 19 March 2024.
“Fourteen other Joburg Water’s sites have been identified for the exclusion with alternative supply projects about to start across the City.
“The other factor that compelled the entity to make these adjustments is the technical changes as the reconfiguration and refurbishment of the network continues.”
Mangena said the rehabilitation of the Bellevue substation – damaged in a fire in December – also necessitated its exclusion while repairs are carried out.
“Upon completion of the installation of the four cables in Kyasands, some of the businesses currently embedded with residential customers in the area, will benefit from the exclusion.
“Kya Sand is also under consideration when the current project undertaken to normalise the network in the business area is finalised.”
Mangena said the final reason the entity took this step was the exclusion of certain businesses.
“Several load curtailment agreements have been signed with City Power and the organisation is engaging more large power users to partner with it in this regard.
“The entity is in the process of considering additional applications from other businesses that are also seeking exemption as part of the load curtailment programme.
“Load curtailment agreements mean that large power users and business customers who qualify will be excluded from load shedding on condition that they curtail their consumption and reduce it to acceptable levels should the need arise especially during higher stages of load shedding.”
He said this will allow the city’s economic activities to proceed unhindered, prevent job losses and attract investments.
READ MORE: Joburg staring down the barrel of a catastrophic water supply crisis
“This is part of our mandate as an entity to provide power supply in a manner that promotes the city’s social and economic objectives.
City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava said he was pleased with the decision to take over load shedding from Eskom.
“Now we are in a position to exempt essential services, among others, and this, for the benefit of the residents of Johannesburg,” she said.
“The recent challenges faced by our essential services customers with water supply also compelled us to work harder to fast-track the work we have already started of exempting these services from load shedding.
“We are currently working alongside the City and Gauteng government to ensure that more of these crucial services, including schools, clinics, and so forth, are protected from the impact of load shedding.”
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Earlier in the day, the City of Johannesburg said it needed approximately R3 billion per year to address the issue of poor infrastructure as residents grapple with consistent water cuts.
The water issues have persisted since late last year, with frequent shutdowns affecting various parts of the city.
ALSO READ: ‘We should be investing R3 billion annually’: City of Joburg speaks on water crisis
Additional reporting by: Enkosi Selane
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