Large parts of Johannesburg have been plunged into darkness after City Power isolated the Fordsburg Substation following the detection of smoke in underground cable tunnels.
The substation was isolated at about 5 pm on Sunday as a safety precaution while Emergency Management Services and City Power teams worked to determine the source of the smoke and assess the condition of the electricity infrastructure.
The isolation has had a wider impact across the interconnected electricity network, affecting several substations and switching stations supplied through the Reuven, Lenasia and Hursthill Service Delivery Centres.
Johnware Substation, Nancefield, Mayfair Substation, Pennyville Substation, Orlando Switching Station and Eikenhof Substation are among the facilities currently off.
The interruption has affected residential areas, businesses and essential services across large parts of Johannesburg.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said emergency teams were on site and that the priority was to establish the source of the smoke before technicians could safely enter the underground tunnels.
“EMS is currently on site assessing the source of the smoke and conditions inside the tunnels. City Power operators and protection teams are also on site assessing the network,” Mangena said.
He said the electricity utility would only allow teams to enter the tunnels once the area had been declared safe.
“Once the area has been declared safe, teams will access the tunnels to determine the condition of the electricity infrastructure and the work required,” he said.
The Reuven Service Delivery Centre has reported outages affecting Kibler Park, Chrisville, Mayfield Park, Mondeor, Naturena, Eikenhof, Robertsham, Alveda Park, Ormonde, Comptonville and Meredale, as well as surrounding areas.
In the Lenasia Service Delivery Centre, the interruption has affected Eldorado Park, New Eldorado Park, Nancefield, Nirvana and Soweto, including surrounding areas supplied through the Nancefield, New Eldorado Park, Nirvana and Soweto substations.
The Hursthill Service Delivery Centre has been affected in Brixton East, Riverlea, Crosby, Mayfair and Langlaagte, together with surrounding areas.
Of particular concern is the impact on Rand Water, which is currently unable to pump because of the electricity interruption.
Rand Water is a critical bulk water service provider and relies on electricity to operate its pumping infrastructure and move water through the system.
City Power warned that if the interruption continues for an extended period, the loss of pumping capacity could have implications for water supply operations.
The utility said the impact on critical services would be taken into account as technicians assessed the affected network and planned the safest way to restore electricity.
“The loss of supply therefore has implications beyond the electricity network and may affect water supply operations if pumping remains interrupted for an extended period,” City Power said.
Given the extent of the interruption and the need to determine the source of the smoke and condition of the affected infrastructure, electricity was not expected to be restored immediately.
City Power said an estimated restoration time would only be communicated after the assessments had been completed and the scope of work was known.
The utility urged residents and businesses in affected areas to exercise caution during the outage.
Customers were warned to treat all electricity infrastructure as live at all times and to avoid approaching electrical installations.
Residents were also advised to unplug sensitive appliances while the electricity supply remained off.
City Power further advised customers to switch appliances back on gradually once electricity was restored. This is intended to avoid placing additional pressure on the network as supply returns.
The outage is likely to create additional pressure for households, businesses and public services in affected communities, particularly if the restoration process takes longer than anticipated.
City Power said its teams were continuing to monitor the network and assess the infrastructure affected by the Fordsburg isolation.
Mangena said further updates would be provided as the assessment progressed and more information became available.
For residents across the affected parts of Johannesburg, the immediate priority remains the safe restoration of electricity while authorities determine what caused smoke to enter the underground cable tunnels.
The incident also highlights the interconnected nature of Johannesburg’s electricity network, where the isolation of one major facility can have consequences across several service delivery areas.
With Rand Water’s pumping operations already affected, City Power faces pressure to restore the network as soon as it is safe to do so, while ensuring that emergency teams and electricity workers are not exposed to potentially dangerous conditions underground.
