- Nelson Mandela Bay will assess the damages to electricity infrastructure caused by gale-force winds.
- The Municipality’s electricity network is facing significant power disruptions due to the collapse of four 132 kV overhead transmission towers.
The towers form part of the network that supplies the Chelsea , Arlington Substation and Southend Substations through shared double-circuit steel lattice structures.
South Africa’s Minster of Energy and Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa conducted a visit to Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality to assess the damages to electricity infrastructure. He was accompanied by the Deputy Executive Mayor, Cllr Babalwa Lobishe, members of the Mayoral Committee, senior Municipal officials and senior executives from Eskom (distribution). Ramokgopa said that it would Require R1.07 Billion to fix existing infrastructure in the municipality and added that there must be a more concerted effort by Municipalities in the country to maintain distribution infrastructure.
Electricity officials said that they had visited the towers as part of their routine maintenance about two months ago and found the pylons had suffered severe degradation due to steel rust and corrosion caused by salt water ingress. The pylons are located near the coastline.
Progress has been made in the construction and restoration efforts. In partnership with Eskom’s design and survey teams, and additional construction teams, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has completed a detailed assessment of the damage, which has resulted in the initial projected repair timeline of 14 days being reduced to 7 days.
Contractors have begun excavating and planting poles, whilst the Eskom team from the Eastern Cape has started installing steel monopoles and post insulators. All efforts are being accelerated by increasing the workforce and extending work hours. Additional teams from the Western Cape will arrive tomorrow to expedite the process, with work continuing overnight to meet the revised timeline.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
