City Power’s project to retrofit all Johannesburg’s streetlights with LED technology is gathering pace, the utility said.
“I’m delighted that this pilot project is beginning to improve Johannesburg’s energy position and positively impact the lives of our residents,” said MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Michael Sun.
“The LED units that City Power is deploying will on average save five times more energy than the old streetlight technology being replaced, reducing pressure on our already strained network and conserving energy that will ultimately help to prevent outages.”
As of the end of July, more than 2 000 LED streetlights have been fitted in areas across the city. The LED units conserve significant power as well as provide a pure white light that shines further to assist security initiatives. The units also have built-in meters that will measure consumption in direct Eskom-supplied areas and prevent reliance on estimations when billing is processed.
“With a 10 to 15-year lifespan, these LED units will save City Power significant maintenance hours that can be redirected to upgrading the network and dealing with outages and cable theft.
“But the energy, funds and working hours that will be saved through this project will only be beneficial if communities help ensure vandals and cable thieves stay far away from these new LED units.”
Theft and vandalism of streetlights and other City Power infrastructure remain rife despite efforts by City Power, JMPD and SAPS to stop this scourge. Johannesburg residents are encouraged to promptly report any damaged electrical infrastructure or suspicious behaviour in their communities.
“City Power has several hotlines and a WhatsApp number where residents can call the alarm on cable theft. Even if we have the smallest piece of evidence, we will be able to use this to put cable thieves behind bars where they belong.”
A cable thief was sentenced to 12 years in prison in July after stealing City Power cabling in Honeydew last year.
The conviction was only possible through community involvement after residents had promptly reported the incident to City Power.
To report outages or faulty streetlights log onto: https://cp.forcelink.net/forcelink/customportal/cp_mdt/customerportal.html#
Details: City Power 24/7 Cable Theft Hotlines 011 490 7553, 011 490 7911, or WhatsApp 083 579 4497.
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