A second transformer has come online at the Sebenza Power Substation in Johannesburg.

The transformer, which forms part of the City of Johannesburg’s billion rand refurbishment project, is expected to double the output of the facility and assist in stabilising the North eastern grid.

Sebenza Substation is a buffer bulwark supply facility currently being built to mitigate against power outages arising from electricity demand exceeding supply.

Over the past few months, the north-eastern parts of Johannesburg have endured frequent power outages arising from these challenges.

Speaking at a site visit Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba said the project was rooted in the Diphetogo strategy of addressing the enormous inherited infrastructure backlogs that plague communities with service delivery disruptions.

“The multi-party government inherited an electricity network that required urgent attention. In many parts, infrastructure had been built decades ago for communities that have now grown substantially in size. 27% of the City’s bulk transformers have been running past their Useful Lifespan, producing a staggering 177 000 low voltage outages in 2017/18.”

“Our visit to the Sebenza Substation marks the occasion in which a new second transformer has come online, which effectively doubles the electricity output of this facility. Its impact on stabilising the grid will be profound, greatly reducing the instability of electricity supply to the North-Eastern parts of our City,” he noted.

Later this year, a third transformer will be installed at the Sebenza Substation which will achieve a massive improvement in the stability of the electricity grid throughout Johannesburg.

“The significance of the work at the Sebenza Substation is intrinsically linked to the broader project of change in our City,” he concluded.