City Power applies power reduction from today

Johannesburg residents will from today experience power reduction until further notice as a measure to put pressure off the electricity network. 

City Power is set to implement load reduction from 6am until 10am and again between 4pm until 10pm. The load reduction is informed by monitoring consumption data from substations and those with higher consumption are switched off temporarily, said the utility. 

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said: “Over 80 areas will be affected and grouped into 6 blocks for load reduction, which will not exceed 2 hours per block. Each block will have its power supply switched off for 2 hours daily until the network stabilises.”

During this time, affected areas will not have power.

Mangena said they will continue to monitor the network performance and status.

“Each block is reducing the network by over 50MW at each time slot. If the load reduces in any area, that area will be removed from the load reduction list. If consumption levels in an area that is now not on the list increase to the extent of putting the network at risk of failure or total collapse, the area will be added to the list,” said Mangena.

The reduction will be implemented as long as the network is constrained.

“The period of load reduction depends on the status of the network. If the energy consumption levels remain where they are or increase, load reduction will remain until the network is no longer at risk of failure or collapse.

“It’s important to note that load reduction is aimed at reducing the load on the network to prevent its failure or complete collapse,” said Mangena. 

He said electricity consumption in the city had reached critical levels, and that is due to continuous demand which is higher than the electricity equipment can withstand. As a result, load reduction will be implemented in areas where the load exceeds the designated maximum capacity of the city’s transformers, transmission lines or cables, said Mangena.

Mangena said the majority of the high consumption power stems from illegal connections. 

“Additionally, City Power has recorded an enormous increase in the average evening peak load in some areas, which went up by 65%, from 25MW during the summer months to 33MW between April and May 2024,” said Mangena. 

With temperatures expected to drop even more between June and July, Mangena said the consumption levels could have dire consequences on their network infrastructure if load reduction is not urgently implemented.

Mangena also added that the critical levels have forced them to take strict actions including the enhancing of ripple relay geyser systems in households where receivers have been installed. 

“A ripple receiver controls electricity supply to geysers during peak hours, significantly reducing household energy costs, as geysers can account for up to 50% of monthly usage. City Power, connected to 69 substations, can remotely monitor and switch off geysers when consumption levels are high,” said Mangena. 

Load limiting through smart meters will be implemented in July to help customers save energy without full disconnections.