Tshwane to embark on 'aggressive' drive against illegal connections in Soshanguve
The City of Tshwane says load reduction has been implemented in Soshanguve in the north of the capital region to prevent overloading of the Soshanguve 132/11kv Substation.
Tshwane says the inclement weather has resulted in an increase in consumers' electricity demand and the available grid is unable to cope with the strain.
City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo says the City will reduce energy consumption from 6pm until 10pm daily.
"The move to implement load reduction in Soshanguve was informed by the current status of the Soshanguve 132/11kv Substation which is experiencing power overload as a result of illegal connections."
Mashigo adds Tshwane teams will soon be in the Soshanguve region to target illegal connection.
"The city will soon embark on an aggressive campaign to disconnect illegal electricity connections in the area that are the main contributing factor to the grid overload.
"Pursuant to this objective, the city implores the community to report illegal connections, so that those that are behind this commission of a crime can face the full might of the law."
Mashigo adds that the option of load reduction prevents extended and unplanned power outages, which could last for days, as the electrical protection schemes are bound to trip if overloading is not managed.
"It also saves the City from incurring unnecessary costs which might come as a result of extensive damages to the substation.
"Due to the vulnerability of the said substation, the City was faced with choices: to either leave the feeders to trip on their own, which would result in two secondary substations being off and 80% of Jukulyn losing power, or to allow the region to manage the load reduction.
"The only rational option under the circumstances is to manage load reduction to ensure that the grid is not compromised.
SEE LOAD REDUCTION SCHEDULE BELOW:
Tshwane Implements Load Reduction in Soshanguve by Mmangaliso Khumalo on Scribd
