Bellville South Main substation investment of R87,5 m enhances reliable power supply

14 May 2025

The City’s Energy Directorate is carrying out major upgrades to its electricity infrastructure and investing substantially to strengthen the grid. These infrastructure investments are essential for reliable electricity supply in the metro. The City is investing R4 billion in electricity upgrades over the next three years.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Alderman Xanthea Limberg, visited the Bellville South Main Substation while Energy teams were carrying out critical infrastructure refurbishment and replacing the three existing transformers with two new units and installing new 132 kV high voltage cables to the substation.

‘By completing this work, the City will replace the ageing infrastructure, strengthen the network and increase the network capacity. The full project cost is R 87,5 million and both transformers and high voltage cable are manufactured locally in South Africa. We are proud to contribute meaningfully to the local economy by sourcing this major infrastructure within South Africa. I am pleased to have seen for myself the work which is being completed and assessing the substation maintenance work. Regular maintenance on electricity infrastructure ensures we can provide a reliable and stable electricity service. City electricity tariff income is used to invest in and maintain the electricity network.

'This ongoing maintenance ensures we can expand the lifespan of our assets and most importantly ensures we can provide a sustainable and resilient service for the future. Significant investments such as this are essential to securing power supply, while minimising disruptions and, importantly, prolonging the lifespan of our power infrastructure to support the growing energy needs of both residents and businesses across the metro. Projects such as this emphasises the City’s approach to service delivery and highlights the City's commitment  to improved service delivery,’ said Alderman Limberg.

The reliability of the City of Cape Town’s electricity infrastructure is a result of our extensive maintenance programme, including a R4 billion infrastructure investment between 2024 and 2027.

Let’s ACT: Protect Your Power

The City is doing all it can to protect infrastructure and we ask residents to report suspicious activity or criminal acts either to the South African Police Service or the City at 021 480 7700 or WhatsApp 060 0181 505.

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office