The arrival of a transformer at the 132/33kV Dukuza substation on Tuesday is the latest step taken towards electrical stability in the area.
A subject of multiple delays, the Dukuza substation project near Umhlali Country Club on the P445 extension of Ballito Drive, is one of many underway that should add to the reliability of the electrical grid across KwaDukuza.
The delivery of the 132kV transformer was itself a cause for delay after the date was pushed back by the original supplier entering business rescue.
Water ingression into the site and sugar cane clearing had previously been cited for the delays, but the KwaDukuza municipality (KDM) remains confident that it will meet its two-year construction deadline.
Ground was broken in March last year, so that would be March 2025 in theory, but sources familiar with the project suggest anything earlier than the end of 2025 is unlikely.
There are seven further electrical infrastructure projects at different stages of completion across KwaDukuza.
Three substations will enjoy refurbishment this year, the funding for which has already been approved in the 2024/25 financial year.
The stations in question are Ballito, Chaka’s Rock and Lavoipierre in KwaDukuza. Work on all three should be complete by June 2025.
No dates have been set for planned outages to affect the work as yet, but keep an eye on the KDM Facebook page for updates.
The remaining four projects are all upgrades and will include the Sappi substation, Imbonini substation, Village switchroom (Sheffield) and Hewitt switchroom (Salt Rock).
All four are at procurement stage, meaning tenders are out for the work and no budget has yet been allocated.
“Competitive bidding has its own complexities which, at times, delay the process to appoint the service provider,” said KDM spokesperson, Sifiso Zulu.
“For example, you need to leave room for appeals which prolong the process.”
Therefore no timeline is available for the four projects.
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