A substation in Durban exploded last night in a dramatic display, bringing more power problems to the country.
The municipality of eThekwini, which covers Durban, reported an explosion at the 275 kV Klaarwater substation at around 8 pm.
🎥 #Klaarwater substation blast in Durban. pic.twitter.com/eQT0sERjlI
— Sean Parker (@Sean_ParkerSA) October 11, 2022
The local authority said this had caused a “widespread power outage”, covering about 50% of areas in Durban. The authority went on to ask people to switch off unnecessary items, which would help restore supplies without overloading.
More footage from the massive power outage in Durban after an explosion at Klaarwater substation. This is not going to be resolved quickly. 50% of the city is without electricity. pic.twitter.com/jdlBhQWyen
— Dean Macpherson MP (@DeanMacpherson) October 11, 2022
As of this morning most power had been restored, although eThekwini reported there was “extensive damage” at the Shallcross substation. This may take 48 hours to repair.
It is carrying out an inspection of the infrastructure, covering overhead high voltage lines from Klaarwater to Waterfall, about 30 km away.
eThekwini said the most likely reason for the fault were strong winds and lighting, although it could not confirm this.
Eskom confirmed the explosion at the Klaarwater site last night. It said eThekwini controlled the infrastructure.
While the municipality does not own its own power generation, it is working on plans to change this.
South Africa continues to be under stage 2 load shedding. Eskom may provide an update this afternoon, with 14,061 MW out of action as a result of breakdowns.