In an attempt to alleviate the growing pressure on the electrical grid in Roodepoort, City Power will begin construction on a new substation in Honeydew next month.
At present, the substation in Princess is at full capacity as it helps feed not just the southern and central areas of Roodepoort, but the northern areas as well. This of course includes the Peter and Christiaan de Wet Roads substations, which further distribute the power to the northern areas.
But, with the number of properties drawing power, the line which carries the power over the krans to the northern substations is running at full capacity and there is a desperate need to upgrade the electrical infrastructure. In an attempt to do so, City Power will be building the Lutz substation on the corner of Johan and Deysel Roads in Honeydew, thus eliminating the need for power to be sent from Princess.
While the plans to build the substation were in place eight years ago, nothing ever came of them, due to numerous challenges that prevented the plan from getting into motion. According to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, “Lutz will get a new connection at the Dalkeith Substation, and will be then connected to the Peter Road network to ensure increased capacity and reduced interruptions”.
The substation will be designed to have three transformers, but will initially only have two built, of which one will operate at full capacity and the other will be on standby for times when the main transformer goes down. The space for the third transformer will be reserved to increase the power capacity of the substation if the need ever arises.
The Lutz station will also in no way benefit Zandspruit, as Zandspruit receives power through a direct line from Eskom, which doesn’t feed through City Power. According to Tony Whitaker, the Capital Planning Manager for Infrastructure for City Power, Lutz will be expected to reach about 60 000 residents in northern Roodepoort, which also means that if the Roodekrans substation goes down for some reason, the northern areas will not be affected once Lutz is up and running.
Contractors are expected to break ground on the site in January next year, with construction expected to take about 24 months.
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