Work to repair damaged electricity infrastructure after cables caught fire underground along the M1 in Johannesburg this week has begun, City Power said.
The power utility said the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and the city's emergency services (EMS) have given clearance for work to commence.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said work on site will begin with clearing rubble and then determining the extent of the network damage.
He said the assessment findings will determine the scope of work and the estimated time of restoration.
The fire, which began on Tuesday evening, cut off power supply to Braamfontein, part of the Johannesburg CBD, Parktown and parts of Newtown. It also led to road closures in the area.
Cable theft is suspected to be the cause of the blaze under the M1 double-decker highway after teams found tools and a cellphone while containing the fire on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, our backfeeding efforts could not cover all affected customers but only a few. There are no alternative methods available to provide supply to the affected customers as the city does not have the capacity of generators to power all the affected suburbs,” he said.
Mangena said the extent of the damage to the network will determine work to be conducted on site and the period it may take to have supply restored.
“We want to assure our valued customers that we are committed to rehabilitating the damaged electricity infrastructure and restore supply as soon as we can. However, this will take a while. We apologise for the inconvenience this causes and appeal for patience as we work on repairs. We will continue to provide updates on developments on site,” he said.
TimesLIVE
Work begins to repair Joburg underground cables after fire
Image: ANTONIO MUCHAVE
Work to repair damaged electricity infrastructure after cables caught fire underground along the M1 in Johannesburg this week has begun, City Power said.
The power utility said the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and the city's emergency services (EMS) have given clearance for work to commence.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said work on site will begin with clearing rubble and then determining the extent of the network damage.
He said the assessment findings will determine the scope of work and the estimated time of restoration.
The fire, which began on Tuesday evening, cut off power supply to Braamfontein, part of the Johannesburg CBD, Parktown and parts of Newtown. It also led to road closures in the area.
Cable theft is suspected to be the cause of the blaze under the M1 double-decker highway after teams found tools and a cellphone while containing the fire on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, our backfeeding efforts could not cover all affected customers but only a few. There are no alternative methods available to provide supply to the affected customers as the city does not have the capacity of generators to power all the affected suburbs,” he said.
Mangena said the extent of the damage to the network will determine work to be conducted on site and the period it may take to have supply restored.
“We want to assure our valued customers that we are committed to rehabilitating the damaged electricity infrastructure and restore supply as soon as we can. However, this will take a while. We apologise for the inconvenience this causes and appeal for patience as we work on repairs. We will continue to provide updates on developments on site,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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